Boatnerd Discussion Forum

There is ongoing work on the northwest pier above the Poe lock. If weather conditions warrant any bounbound salt water vessel, regardless if she has a working bow thruster or not, will require tug assistance. Most salt water vessels these days have bow thrusters and under normal conditions do not require a tug.

[quote="guest"]at about 1:15 on friday the cargo ship Isadora was entering the locks being maneuvered by a tug just prior to entering the lock, was this due to lack of a bow thruster? had not seen that before.[/quote]

A one-tug assist at the Soo Locks from a Great Lakes Towing tug (typically the [i]Missouri[/i]) seems to be a relatively standard operating procedure for oceangoing vessels, or at least the larger ones. It's been a common sight there since at least the 1990s and likely goes back farther back then that. Larger oceangoing ships (570'+ in length, 74'+ in beam) started becoming regular visitors to the Lakes in the early to mid 1970s. If oceangoing vessels weren't already getting regular tug assists at the Soo Locks by the mid '70s, that would be a good guess for when the practice became common.

The [i]Isadora[/i] has a Kawasaki KT-8883 bowthruster.

All of the new Polsteam ones the Isa, Isadora, Iryda, Isolda and Irma all have bow thrusters. I've seen the Isa in the past while at the Soo not use a tug along with the Isadora and Isolda.

It was the tug Missouri at the Soo. I don't believe she has a bowthruster.

Where at? The Soo? Welland Canal? St. Lawrence?

at about 1:15 on friday the cargo ship Isadora was entering the locks being maneuvered by a tug just prior to entering the lock, was this due to lack of a bow thruster? had not seen that before.