A familiar sight on your travels through Sturgeon Bay has gone on its maiden voyage. The M/V Mark W. Barker, the first Great Lakes freighter built in nearly 40 years, left Bay Shipbuilding Wednesday morning after calling Sturgeon Bay home for the last three years. It was seen cruising the Bay of Sturgeon Bay approximately two weeks ago, doing its sea trials before making its journey to Port Inland, Mich. After picking up stones at the port, the vessel will head to Muskegon, Mich., where the cargo will be turned into ready-mix concrete. Interlake Steamship Company Vice President of Marketing and Marine Traffic Brendan O’Connor called the M/V Mark W. Barker “a vessel for the future” because of its square-shaped cargo holds and larger hatch openings. The company’s president and the vessel’s namesake, Mark W. Barker, thanked the workers of Bay Shipbuilding in a release, saying they are thrilled to add the “newest US-crewed, US-built, and US-owned vessel to the Great Lakes fleet.” Bay Shipbuilding went to work on the M/V Mark W Barker in August 2019.    

VIDEO AND PICTURE FROM SEA TRIALS RUN TWO WEEKS AGO

FULL RELEASE FROM INTERLAKE STEAMSHIP COMPANY

STURGEON BAY, WISCONSIN, July 27, 2022: Nearly three years after the first cut of steel for the first Great Lakes freighter in nearly 40 years, the 639-foot M/V Mark W. Barker embarked on her maiden voyage today from Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding.

“This is a monumental day for our company, and the US flag fleet as our much-anticipated freighter departs on her first voyage in what will be a long life of service on the Great Lakes,” says Mark W. Barker, President of The Interlake Steamship Company and namesake of the vessel – the company’s first new build since 1981. “The construction of this vessel, which was made from steel manufactured in Indiana, from iron ore delivered by vessel from Minnesota, reinforces our long-term commitment to shipping and delivering essential cargoes for our customers throughout the region.”

The M/V Mark W. Barker departed the Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin shipyard at 10:36 central time for her 110-mile journey to Port Inland, Michigan, where her crew of 21 professional mariners will load stone to deliver to Muskegon, Michigan. Once delivered, that stone cargo will go into ready-mix concrete production. 

“This new vessel not only brings with it additional cargo carrying capacity and capabilities, it is the most versatile in our fleet and strategically sized to navigate into nearly any port on the Great Lakes,” says Brendan P. O’Connor, Vice President of Marketing and Marine Traffic. “The M/V Mark W. Barker will give us unmatched ability for cargo operations and to carry unique project cargoes because of both her square-shaped cargo hold and larger hatch openings. She truly was designed to be a vessel for the future.”

Under construction since August 2019, the M/V Mark W. Barker was built by hundreds of dedicated workers at the Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, shipyard.

“We couldn’t be prouder to add this skillfully constructed vessel to our growing Interlake fleet,” says Barker, who was at the shipyard this week to personally wish the best to the ship’s crew fitting out the new vessel. “It has been genuinely inspiring to see the dedication and workmanship from all of those involved in this multi-year project, from the design, construction, final outfitting and successful sea trials. We are thrilled to add our newest US-crewed, US-built and US-owned vessel to the Great Lakes fleet.”

ABOUT THE M/V MARK W. BARKER

The new River-Class, self-unloading bulk carrier is believed to be the first ship for U.S. Great Lakes service built on the Great Lakes since 1983. Measuring 639 feet in length (78 feet W, 45 feet H, 28,000 DWT), the ship will transport raw materials such as salt, iron ore, and stone to support manufacturing throughout the Great Lakes region.

The Interlake Steamship Company, Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding (FBS), and Bay Engineering jointly designed the bulk carrier, complete with advanced vessel and unloading systems automation.

The carrier was built by FBS’s nearly 700 skilled trade workers and generated business for partnering contractors, vendors and suppliers. Major partners for the project included: American Bureau of Shipping (ABS); Cleveland-Cliffs, Bay Engineering (BEI); EMD Engines; Caterpillar; EMS-Tech, Inc.; Lufkin (a GE Company), Kongsberg and MacGregor.