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Absolutely Yes indeed! Also, in 2019 you didn’t have most of the problems that are happening here in the USA and around the world such as the Covid-19 Pandemic along with the inflation issues and higher costs on everything along with supply chain issues and also economic issues and the war between Russia and Ukraine. In 2019, times were better and things here in the US and around the world were in much better shape than they are today. Back then in 2019, the US economy was booming before the Covid 19 Pandemic stopped most everything in 2020. Just my thoughts and two cents only on this subject! Also in 2019 I think you were dealing too with record high water levels?

Thanks for pulling together the list.

Does that seem like alot of vessels not underway yet compared to say 2019?

The following vessels all departed from their Winter Layups from my list that I sent in. Michipicoten
Robert S. Pierson
Algoma Equinox
Sea Eagle II and St. Mary’s Cement II

Kaministiqua is underway

Here’s a few boats that I can come up with that so far have not yet sailed for the 2023 shipping season. However, we’re still in late March yet so I’m sure there will be more to sail as we get into April. So far, the limestone docks have yet to be opened up and going.

Here’s who’s still in layup and not fitting out yet

American Spirit
Indiana Harbor
Walter J. McCarthy Jr.
Edgar B. Speer
Presque Isle
Philip R. Clarke
American Courage
Calumet
Manitowoc
Olive L. Moore/Menominee
Victory/Maumee
H. Lee White
Cuyahoga
Kaministiqua
Manitoulin
Michipicoten
Robert S. Pierson
Saginaw
Algoma Buffalo
Algoma Discovery
Algoma Equinox
John D. Leitch they will be sailing very soon
Tug Albert and barge Margaret
Tug Michigan and barge Great Lakes
Clyde S. VanEnkevort and Erie Trader they will be sailing very soon
Tug Sea Eagle II and barge St. Mary’s Cement II
Tug Bradshaw McKee and barge St. Mary’s Conquest
Tug Caroline McKee and barge Commander

These are a few of them as the list is very long and extensive! I’ll add more as I think of them and perhaps someone else can add a few to this list as well. Hope this helps out.

Does anyone have a list of the US boats that aren't fitting out yet ?

Guest wrote: ↑March 21, 2023, 9:51 pm

Guest wrote: ↑March 21, 2023, 11:38 am Even with this, the Philip R. Clarke did not operate last season while some other units sailed a shortened season

May want to check your facts...

Thanks for pointing out my mistake about the Philip R. Clarke not operating last season, when it was actually the Cason J. Callaway that remained idle. I likely got my layup lists confused so I stand corrected. However, I believe that a check of the 2021-2022 winter layup and departure listing will confirm the fact that the American Spirit, Lee A. Tregurtha, and Stewart J. Cort sailed an abbreviated season in 2022.

I think maybe he meant the Callaway.

Guest wrote: ↑March 21, 2023, 11:38 am Even with this, the Philip R. Clarke did not operate last season while some other units sailed a shortened season

May want to check your facts...

Here are two screen-capture images of the Weekly Raw Steel Production in the US, that the AISI sends out every Monday and also posts to their website. I compile all the reports into a spreadsheet, and have been doing so for a number of years now. Peak raw steel production for the Great Lakes area in the US was 637,000 tons in mid-January 2022. You can also see how far surpassed the Great Lakes are by the Southern US in weekly raw steel production. And with more EAFs coming online, that gap will only widen.

Guest wrote: ↑March 9, 2023, 4:27 am

Guest wrote: ↑March 8, 2023, 7:29 pm It looks like Interlake has published their fit-out schedule and all vessels are fitting out in March. Good to see all of them running from the start which is much better than 2022 when LAT and Stewart J Cort sat at the wall a while.

http://www.interlake-steamship.com/imag ... hedule.pdf

But all the experts here are saying this is a down year.

As another poster has mentioned, I don't recall anyone saying this would be a bad season. Rather it was more of a discussion of the continuing decline of shipping activity on the lakes. Perhaps the best and most easily understood analogy would be to google the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA). By selecting the maximum length (MAX) of information for the graph. It is easy to see that some points are lows and some points are highs. For the most part, the individual pieces of data by themselves are relatively unimportant in the overall context. What is apparent, however, is that over time the value has continued to grow. That is an important component of the information as it reflects the fact that the economy is continuing to grow over time.

By applying this principle to the tonnages moved on the Great Lakes such a graph would show both good and bad seasons but also a general overall decline over time unlike the Dow Jones example above. Whereas the Dow Jones example shows economic growth, one for Great Lakes commerce would show a general decline over the same period of time. Whatever this rate of decline is for shipping it is obvious that the movement of raw materials on the lakes has not kept up with the economic growth of the United States and Canada over the same period. There will likely be a point at which these figures bottom out but at what level of sustainability that will be is only to be known in the future. this will also determine the both the level of shipping activity and the composition of the US fleet.

The overall point is that the future of Great Lakes shipping will not be defined by how many ships do or do not fit out at the beginning of each season but by the trend of cargo movements over the span of several seasons and the projections of future demands. This will force shipping companies to become even more innovative, such as the example of the Mark W. Barker being built to handle a wider range of cargoes than it would have likely been designed to do some 20 years ago. A key factor in the US fleet is that many of its units are reaching 70+ years of age, with the majority of the newest vessels now over 40 years of age. Despite the longer lifespan of vessels in freshwater operation, several of these vessels are nearing the end of their serviceable lives. Even with major upgrades such as the repowering of steamers since the early 2000s there will come a point at which these units will require placements. With powered vessels seeming to take around two years to build and commission the fact that there seems to be no sign of any new construction in the near future seems to imply that shipping companies are going to be very careful about investing in new ships. Let's not forget that within the past three years, the US fleet has lost two large ships with a combined single-trip carrying capacity of nearly 90,000 tons. Even with this, the Philip R. Clarke did not operate last season while some other units sailed a shortened season. I know it will be pointed out that the Blough and St. Clair are implied to have been inefficient and that they were quickly laid up during times of tight demand. I welcome this viewpoint as it strengthens my argument as these ships would have likely been upgraded or replaced if demand had increased along the same lines as the economic growth of the nation. Remember, shipping companies want to fully utilize all of their vessels as idle units do not produce any revenue. As many have noted, the next 10 to 20 years are going to be interesting.

In a year when the ice is heavy, you can bet on a GLF boat for the first through. This year with light to no ice, there will be many boats in the river on March 24.

I may be wrong but the Gott having the highest HP on the lakes usually makes her the first through the icepack. The Blough would also make sense since she did not have a bluff bow.

My bet and money for first through the Soo would be the Gott. The Speer was the first there last year in 2022 with the Gott right behind them. My point is, usually I don’t think the same ship such as the Speer would repeat as the first at the Soo two years in a row? At least I don’t recall ever seeing or hearing of a ship repeating as first through the Soo before. Not that it can’t happen of course but I have not heard of it happening before. Then again, we may be in for a surprise and shocker for first at the Soo as it might be one nobody expects. A few years ago, H. Lee White was the first through the Soo which was a first for them! They were laid up at Sturgeon Bay and I never would have guessed or thought of them being first at the Soo then. Another back in 2018 was American Century being the first at the Soo. They were in Toledo and I would’ve never thought they’d be first at the Soo. We will soon see!

The gott and munson will probably be the first ships through the soo locks or even maybe the speer. Seems like Great Lakes fleet usually is the first to open the locks. When the blough was running it seemed like they were always leading a parade of ships through the locks and ice in Lake Superior when the season opened.

Jeeze, you want some popcorn with all that salt?

The ASC footers at Bay Ship look like they are missing props/rudders at the moment. It doesn't appear that they will be going anywhere anytime soon.

Amazes me that the steamers are still being operated.

Arent they carrying 4 engineers and 3 oilers? And the high fuel burn.

Email and cell phones. That lets everyone who needs to know when and where to show up. No reason any one else has to know.

Well since they no longer update their websites even with mundane things (and they don't paint their boats), I'm going with they've laid off that person.