SMET
Re: SMET
I would say the St. Clair would be near the top of the list of ships smaller than 1,000 feet in length that had a regular loading schedule at SMET. After entering service in 1976, this ship was dedicated primarily to the movement of western coal from Superior to Detroit Edison powerplants for about the first 15 years of its career. After the late 1980s and in the 1990s it seemed to be utilized more in the movement of iron ore pellets probably due to the use of 1000 footers of the ASC, Interlake, and Oglebay Norton (Columbia Transportation) fleets on those trading routes. When built the St. Clair was considered as a stepping stone for ASC in the construction of 1000 foot ships or which two it had built during the last half of the 1970s with the last entering service in 1980 as part of its major fleet modernization program. That was made largely possible due to the passage of the Title XI of the U.S. Maritime Act of 1970 that provided shipowners with low-interest loans for new construction and modernization of existing vessels. Due to its beam and depth, the St. Clair always seemed to fall into a category as being either too small or too large for many trading patterns and spent a considerable amount of time idle during its career when compared to other vessels built during the same period.