Lake Carriers’ Association

Minnesota Briefs: Explore Minnesota Announces Tourism Award Winners

February 29, 2020

Explore Minnesota, the state’s tourism promotion office, announced the winners of its annual awards last week. Marianna Khauv was named outstanding individual in tourism. Khauv, owner of Best Western Chelsea Inn & Suites in Monticello, has served in many tourism leadership roles in the state and in her community. Kjersti Vick was named the state…

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Great Lakes Shipping Fleet Prepares for 2020

February 20, 2020

More than $97 million in maintenance and modernization is underway on U.S.-flag Lakers idled for winter work at multiple Great Lakes shipyards. After working around the clock for 10 months hauling cargo over more than 70,000 miles per vessel, the ships and their crews are given a brief rest to recoup before the next season…

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Great Lakes Shipping Routes Evolve Digitally

February 11, 2020

113 years ago, the Lake Carriers’ Association developed the world’s first Traffic Separation Scheme. Today, those recommended shipping routes have evolved to meet the demands of electronic navigation and continue to provide routes for safe navigation of some of the largest cargo vessels on the planet. Recognizing a need to keep the growing maritime trade…

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Cargo Oddity In January Caps ‘Solid Season’ In Port Of Duluth-Superior

February 10, 2020

Coal experienced its lowest total since 1985.     Among the 33.5 million tons of cargo moved in the port of Duluth-Superior for the 2019-20 season, one shipment stood out. It came near the end of the campaign, when the 704-foot lake freighter H. Lee White loaded with 18,015 tons of spring wheat on Jan.…

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New Soo Lock Construction to Begin Spring of 2020

January 31, 2020

Phase One of New Soo Lock Construction to Begin Spring of 2020 Source: UpNorthLive The first phase of construction on the New Lock at the Soo has been awarded to a company in Nevada. According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, the much-anticipated mega-project will be done in three phases. Trade West…

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Lawmakers Push for New Great Lakes Icebreaker

January 31, 2020

Research from the Lake Carriers Association shows that more than $1 billion in revenues was sacrificed last winter due to delays resulting from inadequate icebreaking. Minnesota Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith and Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin joined eight other senators in advocating for a new Great Lakes icebreaker by signing a letter sent to…

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Yards Start $97 Million Winter Work on Great Lakes Fleet

January 23, 2020

The Lakes Carriers Association says that more than $97 million in maintenance and modernization is underway on U.S.-flag Lakers idled for winter work at multiple Great Lakes shipyards. “After working around the clock for 10 months hauling cargo over more than 70,000 miles per vessel, the ships and their crews are given a brief rest…

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Great Lakes freighters undergo $97 million in work this winter

January 23, 2020

  U.S. shipping companies are spending $97 million this winter to maintain and modernize lakers at shipyards throughout the Great Lakes. Each ship hauls cargo more than 70,000 miles during the 10-month season, according to the Lake Carriers Association. The Soo locks between Lake Huron and Lake Superior closed this month. Now ships and crews…

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Lake Carriers’ Association President Hopeful New Soo Lock Project Could be ‘Efficiently Funded’

January 21, 2020

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. (WLUC) – The president of the Lake Carriers’ Association is hoping to keep funding for the new Soo Lock on the fast track. President Jim Weakley says he’s been working towards getting a new lock for about 15 years. He says the new lock is needed to provide a back up in…

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Life just got easier for a lock named “Soo”

January 9, 2020

Funding for the New Navigation Lock at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan Takes Giant Step Forward: “We can now definitively say that there will be a new Soo Lock,” says Jim Weakley, President of Lake Carriers’ Association. With the expected passage of the 2020 spending bills a vital national infrastructure project, the new navigational lock in…

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‘A new Soo Lock’: Gateway to Lake Superior gets $75 million in funding

December 26, 2019

If additional funding is approved on time, the $922 million project could be completed by 2027. The gateway to Lake Superior is getting its long-awaited upgrade, Great Lakes shippers say, now that $75 million for a new shipping lock at the eastern edge of the big lake has been approved. “We can now definitively say…

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Congress and President Agree on Need for New Great Lakes Icebreaker

December 21, 2019

The 2020 Federal Appropriations Bills, which the President is expected to sign today, include vital language directing the U.S. Coast Guard to stand up a major acquisition program office to enhance icebreaking capacity on the Great Lakes. The Lake Carriers’ Association applauds Congress and President Trump on this significant, formal step for the acquisition of…

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Great Lakes Shipments up in July

September 9, 2019

Cargo shipments on the Great Lakes continued to increase in July. U.S.-flag ships moved a total of 11.4 million tons of cargo in July, up 16.4% compared to last year and 10.2% above the month’s five-year average, according to the Lake Carriers’ Association, which represents 13 U.S. companies and their 46 ships. Each full month…

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Construction Starts on the First Us-Built Laker for 35 Years

August 26, 2019

Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding and The Interlake Steamship Company hosted a ceremonial first-cut-of-steel event this week, celebrating the historic start of construction on the first US-flagged Great Lakes bulk carrier built in more than 35 years. The new River-Class, self-unloading bulk carrier is believed to be the first ship for US Great Lakes service built on…

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Overall Shipments on the Great Lakes Were up in June

August 14, 2019

U.S.-flag ships moved a total of 9.9 million tons of cargo in June, up 2.3% compared to last year and “a near mirror image” of the month’s five-year average, according to the Lake Carriers’ Association, which represents 13 U.S. companies and their 46 ships. June 2019 iron ore cargos for steel production totaled 5.1 million…

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