Boatnerd Discussion Forum

Thank you, all, for your posts and pictures. Mr Link, wondering & guessing makes all of these discussion boards special for the unusual and unknown. In 2013, the discussion posts were how the Phoenix Star could be scrapped in the Toledo shipyard drydock. It was never done before. This year, the unusual in Toledo is how a highway suspension bridge can be reconstructed more than 100 foot over the Maumee River shipping channel. This, also, has never been done before. Just a few more questions for the shipping in this post. Has Tony MacKay ever been in Toledo before? Why would the barge Niagara Spirit winter layup in Toledo with her tug John Spence being in Port Maitland? Is Tony MacKay an articulated tug to mate with the Niagara Spirit? Is Jack Up 600 still in Port Colborne? And, the tug Jane Ann IV being towed to a grain dock upriver from the bridge reconstruction is more than strange. A more likely docking for a towed ship like the Jane would be downriver to the Toledo frog pond. TIA

I'm wondering (guessing) if the Tony MacKay dropped off the Jack Up 600 in Port Colborne and then proceeded to Toledo to pick up the barge Niagara Spirit at the shipyard. The Boatnerd layup list shows that the barge wintered there, and I have not seen the tug John Spence show up on AIS since it arrived in Port Maitland in January.

Guest wrote:Does anybody know where the barge Jack Up 600 is today? The barge doesn't have AIS tracking. Tony MacKay left Toledo this morning with, or without, a barge. TIA

When I saw it on Monday, there were no tugs with it or in Port Colborne harbour. I assumed that it was going to be there for a few days.

Steve

Does anybody know where the barge Jack Up 600 is today? The barge doesn't have AIS tracking. Tony MacKay left Toledo this morning with, or without, a barge. TIA

Thank you cpfan. Your picture and particulars of the barge are great. I see the ships coming through at Iroquois Locks.

Is the Robin Hood elevator coming back to life . How many years has it been closed? Great if it does reopen .

First, there is a data page on the McKeil web site.
http://www.mckeil.com/sites/default/fil ... %20600.pdf

Second, I posted a picture on the Public Gallery. Sorry, not a great picture. (And I'm not going back in the pouring rain today. <grin>)
http://pics.boatnerd.com/v/shipping/cpf ... 9.jpg.html

Steve

Thank you Guest and cpfan for your help. This is the first time seeing a barge like this one. Greatly appreciated.

Jack Up 600 was working at the Robin Hood elevator in Port Colborne this afternoon. I'll try to remember to look at the pictures I took tomorrow, and see if one is worth posting.

Steve

The barge is a jack up type work barge.
The vertical poles are called spuds and drop down to the bottom of the body of water where the barge is working to stabilize the barge.
Jack up barges can, using hydrolic clamps through which the spuds pass, lift themselves up and down the spuds so as to position themselves above high tide and/or wave action.

Mike

On April 23 2014 this tug and barge travelled up through Iroquois Locks. The barge has 6 poles sticking straight up, about 30 feet tall; does anybody know what this barge would be carrying? Wood products, steel?
Thank you