U.S.-FLAG RECORDS GALORE IN 1997

CLEVELAND--When the cement-carrying barge MEDUSA CONQUEST arrived at her winter lay-up berth in Chicago on January 25, it capped the most successful navigation season on the Great Lakes since the boom economy of the 1970s. Preliminary totals for cargo movement in U.S.-Flag lakers show the 66 vessels that saw service during the 1997 shipping season moved more than 125 million tons of dry- and liquid-bulk cargo. That total represents an 8-million ton increase over 1996 and easily qualifies as a new post-recession peak for the Lakes Jones Act trades.

In addition to total cargo movement, several individual U.S.-Flag and Great Lakes records were established in 1997. The 1,000-foot-long BURNS HARBOR, operated by Bethlehem Steel Corporation, upped the record iron ore cargo in the Head-of-the-Lakes trade to 72,300 net tons. That one cargo represents enough iron ore to feed the steelmaker’s blast furnaces for 4.5 days.

The U.S.-Flag supercarrier COLUMBIA STAR, one of 12 ships in the Oglebay Norton fleet, pushed the record coal cargo for the long haul trades to 70,903 net tons. The 770-foot-long ST. CLAIR (American Steamship Company) delivered the largest coal cargo to a Canadian Great Lakes port west of the Welland Canal when she carried 45,411 tons to Nanticoke.

The U.S.-Flag laker PHILIP R. CLARKE, one of three sister ships in the 11-vessel fleet operated by USS Great Lakes Fleet, Inc., set a new benchmark for the Jones Act Lakes salt trade when she delivered 27,621 tons to Buffalo. Interlake Steamship’s ELTON HOYT 2ND became the longest vessel (698 feet) to ever navigate the entire Federal channel in Cleveland’s twisting Cuyahoga River. Only two skyscrapers in Cleveland are taller than the HOYT is long.

Iron ore cargos in U.S. bottoms totaled 63.4 million tons, the highest level since 1981, the last pre-recession season on the Great Lakes. Loadings of western coal totaled 13.9 million tons, the highest level since that trade was initiated in 1976. Eastern coal cargos in U.S. bottoms neared 9.5 million tons, an increase of 17.9 percent over 1996.

The 29.8 million tons of limestone and gypsum loaded into U.S.-Flag lakers last year easily constitute a new post-recession record and possibly represent an all-time high for U.S.-Flag participation in that trade.

Only two commodities decreased in 1997. Salt loadings into U.S. bottoms slipped to 1 million tons, but that total reflects that a major salt producer did not resume shipping until June. The movement of liquid bulk products in U.S.-Flag tankers and integrated tug/barges decreased 10 percent to 2.5 million tons.

During the 1997 navigation season, 66 of the 69 Jones Act lakers were in service. One of the idle vessels, the J. L. MAUTHE, underwent conversion to a self-unloading barge at a Great Lakes shipyard. The vessel has been renamed the PATHFINDER and will return to service in 1998. Other ships not activated in 1997 were a small cement carrier and a straight-decker best suited for the grain trade.

U.S.-Flag Carriage - 1997 Great Lakes Navigation Season
(net tons)

(a) Includes transshipments
b) Reported on a calendar-year basis