Lower Lakes/New vessels

[Northup]

What would be a estimated price for one of the ASC steamers such as the American Victory?

[hausen]

Again at this point it would be extremely unlikely for LLT (or Vanguard) to acquire a retired ship from one of the other Canadian fleets.

[Guest]

Is there any chance that they would aquire the Agawa Canyon or the Halifax?

[Guest]

However, to get them, LLT would probably have to agree to flag them Canadian (and to not re-flag any present LLT vessels U.S.) so as to minimize potential competition with ASC.


Can they re-flag back to US from Canada. I can't recall any boat ever coming back. Something in the Jones Act?

[Guest]

They are certainly not going to even try to purchase the Sherwin. The Sherwin can not transit the Welland Canal or St. Lawrence Seaway that is a major trade route for Upper Lakes Shipping.

I would have to agree wih Russ. More likely (if they could get them from American Steamship), they would purchase the American Victory or the American Fortitude. Both are self-unloaders, in good shape, and fit Welland Canal and Seaway locks (the American Valor at 764' is too long). However, to get them, LLT would probably have to agree to flag them Canadian (and to not re-flag any present LLT vessels U.S.) so as to minimize potential competition with ASC.

[GHboatwatcher]

i saw the orla head upbound a few weeks ago at the soo. she was assited by a tug and struck the left side of the wall. she is a polsteam vessel.

[Guest]

Could the Kathryn Spirit would be a good candidate to be sold to one of those companies even with her limited cargo capacity?

Mathieu, I think the Kathryn Spirit has been sold, or in the process of being sold, I am not 100 % sure.

[Mathieu]

Could the Kathryn Spirit would be a good candidate to be sold to one of those companies even with her limited cargo capacity?

[Guest]

Don't all salties take a tug at the Soo? Some kind of requirement even if they have the bow thruster?

[Richard]

I believe that the three vessels from Polsteam that you mentioned Ziemia Lodzka, Gornoslaska and Cieszynska do not have bow thrusters and need a tug to assist them when transiting the Soo Locks. I believe the two Viken salties also need tug assistance at the Soo as they don't have bow thrusters either along with the two that you mentioned from Spar Shipping also the Jade and the Opal as well.

[hausen]

I doubt any of the other Canadian fleets would let any of their retired ships go to LLT, given their track record of taking other fleets' cast-offs and competing successfully with them.

The Sherwin could be cut down to 740' to transit the Seaway, but given her hold configuration even at 806' she only has the cubic capacity to carry about 21,000mt of grain per trip. To get the most out of her in, say, the Seaway grain trade, they'd have to shorten her and rebuild her cargo holds. At that point with all of that hold reconfiguration they might as well convert her to a self-unloader while they're at it. All of that's not to mention she needs an engine, too. So an acquisition like the Sherwin isn't necessarily out of the question, but it would be a major project.

Perhaps a more likely avenue for growth for a company like LLT (or Vanguard) would be the conversion of oceangoing vessels for Lakes service. Although no Seawaymax salties remain open for Lake shipping companies to acquire, there are plenty of other candidates. A few possibilities: the Spar Garnet and Spar Jade look like they've got relatively compact (read: short) stern machinery/accomodations sections, making them good potential candidates for lengthening to 740' with a new hold segment (like the Algonorth) or a full forebody replacement (ala the Canadian Prospector / Navigator). Spar Shipping's already sold off their other two Seaway-capable salties (Opal and Ruby), so maybe they'd like to part with the Garnet and Jade. Polsteam's three Turkish-built bulkers (Ziemia Gornoslaska, Cieszynska, and Lodzka) are relatively young (early 1990s) and are gearless, so no cranes to remove like Algoma's doing with its new saltie-laker conversions. Speaking of which, the two remaining Viken ships look to still be in good condition too.

[Russ]

They are certainly not going to even try to purchase the Sherwin. The Sherwin can not transit the Welland Canal or St. Lawrence Seaway that is a major trade route for Upper Lakes Shipping.

[GHboatwatcher]

will lower lakes ever buy/build more vessels for their fleet? there's alot of vessels laid up on the canidian side, or they could get the sherwin?


thanks,


GHboatwatcher