Great Lakes Ships

[jr37]

I look at the Lake Superior Traffic Report on Pasty.net once in a while. I frequently see the same ships. Are there ships that stay on the great lakes? What besides ore is being shipped on the lakes? Just wondering.

 

[eao]

Yes there are fleets of ships that only sail on the Great Lakes, mostly Iron Ore carriers between Superior Wis, Marquette MI, Detroit, Toledo etc. A neighbor spent his entire life (40+) yrs sailing only on the Great Lakes Ore Boats

Coal for power plants
Road Salt
Stone
Iron and Steel products
Agricultural, wheat, corn, soybeans, barley, oats and flaxseed exported
fuels
chemicals


re: http://www.great-lakes.net/teach/business/ship/ship_3.html

 

[skeeter2010]

At my job I had to do some vibration testing on the GL Olstrander which carried cement from the Milwaukee harbor to Calumet Harbor which is right where you get onto the Chicago Skyway, Just after the McDonalds which is in the Middle between the North and South bound lanes. Just after the McDonalds you go over the really tall Bridge that is the Calumet River which leads inland to a Lafarge facility I left at 9am and road the boat down and took a cab back to Milwaukee was home at 2am. I wish I could find the pictures I took I was a Japanese tourist, I swear I must have taken 100 pictures on the ride down the weather was awesome got to go up in the wheel house I also took my GPS so I knew where I was in regards to cities. Pretty neat experience

http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/shipdetails.aspx?MMSI=366937490

 

[88skier]

I look at the Lake Superior Traffic Report on Pasty.net once in a while. I frequently see the same ships. Are there ships that stay on the great lakes? What besides ore is being shipped on the lakes? Just wondering.

There are, I think, 13 freighters on the lakes that are too big to get out through the Welland Canal (around Niagara Falls). These 1000-footers are "stuck" in the upper lakes because the greatest length that can fit through the locks in Canada is 740 feet.