The last of the “winter fleet” docking at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay is happening this week. Vice President Todd Thayse says the typical number of Great Lakes freighters and tugs will be in port for work this winter, usually numbering 12 to 15 vessels each year. Most of the work done is of the maintenance variety, including steelwork, the painting of hulls, and piping repairs. Thayse shares one of the more interesting works being done on the self-loading bulk freighter John G. Munson.
Thayse notes that the maritime and transportation industry was impacted significantly early on during the pandemic last year but appears to be rebounding. The vast majority of the “winter fleet” is expected to leave Bay Ship around March 25 when the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie opens for the 2021 Great Lakes shipping season. A couple of the projects, including the Munson, will linger until mid-April, according to Thayse.
On Tuesday, the Sturgeon Bay Common Council unanimously approved Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding's request to endorse a Marine Highway Project Designation.
The M-90 Transbay Freight Service Project would open up opportunities to secure federal funding and acts as a private-public partnership in the shipping industry. The transportation program provides a coordinated and capable alternate to landside transportation and decrease wear and tear on roads while reducing the risks of large truck incidents on roadways.
