john Sherwin

[jrm1270]

How much work on the hull plating would all depend on what they found when the ship was in dry dock. How much would need to be replaced would be discovered there

[mckeesons]

any information in regards to the John sherwin going back
to Sturgeon Bay this year. I heard through a reliable sourse that
she will be moved this year sometime.

[ashland69]

With regards to the damage suffered (previously reported as severe pitting) by the hull plating while in layup for years at the Lakehead, would the hull plating below the waterline have to be renewed as part of her conversion/repowering?

[Guest]

MilwBob-Getting another engine could take some time. My point is -if the Sherwin is being converted this season, thnere doesn't appear to be a readily available engine.

Even if they started converting the Sherwin tomorrow the fact the new engine isn't there at the moment isn't as big of a deal i don't think. Their is lots of other work to do there. New cargo hold slopes, the belts and boom. They could probably work for quite awhile on that before the actual engine was needed.

[Guest]

The Sherwin wouldn't be ready until the Spring of 2014 at the earliest anyways. Plenty of time to get a new engine for her.

[Ludington Rob]

MilwBob-Getting another engine could take some time. My point is -if the Sherwin is being converted this season, thnere doesn't appear to be a readily available engine.

[kpgubert]

The Cort's engines must be just about the oldest diesels left in an American laker at this point.

The Cort may have been built a couple years previous, but her powerplants are almost exactly the same as 90% of the ASC fleet. The Cort has a 20-645-E7, the same as half the 1000' fleet. They are a good engine, and they get rebuilt approximately every five years anyway.

[MilwBob]

The engine built for John Sherwin is now in the KEB. If the conversion rumors for Sherwin are accurate, how will they power her?

They just need to buy another engine.

[LeoA]

That deadline was a decent ways off. She could've remained a steamer for several more years.

I imagine the reason her engine went into the Barker was because it was there, it's an expensive asset, and it could start paying for its investment now by pushing the Barker's repowering ahead of schedule rather than just sitting idle in a warehouse somewhere for a conversion that might never come.

Beyond these Sherwin rumors, anyone know what's next for Interlake? Dieselization of the Jackson or do they repower the Cort, Miner, or Barker instead like they've already done with the Paul R. Tregurtha? The Cort's engines must be just about the oldest diesels left in an American laker at this point.

[Chris M]

probably ordered a new engine. They had to put the engines in the KEB before they wouldnt meet EPA standards

[Ludington Rob]

The engine built for John Sherwin is now in the KEB. If the conversion rumors for Sherwin are accurate, how will they power her?

[hausen]

Interesting information on the Essar developments in Minnesota .
Wouldn't increased transportation charges (sailing to western Lake Superior versus the short trip to Marquette from Algoma) eat into profits for this type of change?

It's a good question. On one hand, the marine haul from Duluth-Superior or Two Harbors to the Canadian Soo is longer than Marquette, and the trip by rail from Essar MN to any of those loading docks is longer than from the Tilden / Empire mines to Marquette. On the other hand, Essar owns the means of pellet production in Minnesota vs. buying them from market merchant Cliffs; perhaps Essar aims to save money there by having pellet costs internalized and based on a brand new and probably very efficient plant with what appears to be a good ore body. Also with the right dock improvements at Sault Ste. Marie, loading out of Duluth, Superior, or Two Harbors could allow the regular use of thousand footers, which is likely cheaper than the smaller vessels running from Marquette to Algoma. Whether that's enough of a difference to make up for the trip length across Superior is beyond my ability to guess.

It will be interesting to see if Cliffs cuts production at Tilden / Empire, or if they route the pellets elsewhere. I know they've been making some substantial capital improvements at Tilden lately, but they've also talked about closing Empire.

[rburdick27]

Interesting information on the Essar developments in Minnesota ....
Wouldn't increased transportation charges (sailing to western Lake Superior versus the short trip to Marquette from Algoma) eat into profits for this type of change?

[Shipwatcher1]

It would be an amazing thing to see the Sherwin come back out after 30+ years at the wall. That would have to be some kind of record.

[jrm1270]

For the Sherwin to come back out, Interlake would need a long term contract. That's what's stopped her from coming out in the 1990's and the early 2000's. The long term contract fell apart at the last min.

[Guest]

Speaking of the re-engined fleet the KEB (with the engine once destined for the Sherwin) now appears on ais and will be back in service soon.

[hausen]

Similar information has been floating around the last week or two, although Sturgeon Bay has usually been the rumored destination, not Superior.

This of course would be great news for boatwatchers. It's definitely a plausible development, as there is a big change in the iron ore trade on the horizon. Starting in mid-late 2013 Essar Minnesota will be producing 4 million tons of taconite pellets per year and sending it from an as yet unnamed western Lake Superior port to Essar Algoma at the Canadian Soo. Additionally Essar MN seems to be planning to increase production capacity to 7 million tons of pellets annually in the near future.

I'm sure some of this new trade will mean a major reduction in Cleveland Cliffs' current shipments from Tilden Mine via Marquette to the Canadian Soo, but despite that we might still see an overall increase in tonnage carried on the lakes. There are two main reasons that could possibly be the case:

First, as evidenced by all the pellets going down the lakes for overseas transshipment at Quebec City, Cliffs is well-versed in selling pellets on the open global market and may be able to shuffle things around so that the Marquette pellets currently going to Algoma find a new destination without a drop in production. Secondly, it appears that Cliffs operations in the UP currently send a considerable amount of taconite by rail to Essar Algoma, something like 1 or 2 million tons per year. If most of Essar Algoma's pellet intake switches from Cliffs Upper Peninsula operations over to the new Essar Minnesota plant, it seems unlikely that much if any of that trade would be sent via rail. Ships are more efficient at moving cargo than trains, and this difference would be proportionally larger over the longer haul from western Lake Superior to the Soo vs. Marquette to the Soo.

So it seems like there's a good chance that there will be a substantial increase in iron ore haulage on the lakes starting and 2013 and hitting full swing in 2014. Perhaps Interlake has its sights set on getting some or all of this business and the Sherwin is part of those plans. Or perhaps Interlake thinks that even if they're not directly involved in the change in ore haulage, they can use their efficient, re-engined fleet (including the Sherwin?) to aggressively pursue other customers that another company might have lost as a consequence of going after the Essar tonnage. And whether Interlake or the Sherwin is involved at all it will hopefully mean more Lakers out sailing and not sitting at the wall.

[Guest]

I'd heard it was back to Sturgeon Bay for conversion.

[sweet56]

Heard some new that the john sherwin was being considered
for be towed to superior this fall.