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Maiden Voyage Underway for the First U.S.-flagged Great Lakes Bulk Carrier in Nearly 40 years

interlakesteamshipadmin July 27, 2022Newsroom

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 …

Freighter Ship Launched at Bayshipbuilding

interlakesteamshipadmin November 1, 2021Media

It’s been almost four decades since a new bulk carrier ship joined the Great Lakes fleet, a hiatus broken last Thursday after workers opened the valves to flood the dry dock at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay to launch the Mark W. Barker. “This is a huge milestone for all of us to be able to put the boat in the water for the first time,” said the vessel’s namesake, Mark Barker, president of Interlake Steamship, which commissioned and owns the ship. The 639-foot-long, 75-foot-wide bulk freighter received full maritime honors Oct. 28, including a large crowd, speeches and …

Launch of the First U.S.-flagged Great Lakes Bulk Carrier in Nearly 40 years

interlakesteamshipadmin October 28, 2021Newsroom

Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding and The Interlake Steamship Company hosted a launch ceremony today, marking the latest milestone for the new 639-foot M/V Mark W. Barker. The first U.S.-flagged Great Lakes freighter to be built on the Great Lakes in nearly 40 years, the M/V Mark W. Barker – while still under construction – was “launched” or otherwise floated in the water in the large drydock at the Sturgeon Bay shipyard. A formal maritime tradition, a launching ceremony honors the first time a boat is transferred from land to water. The public event is a way of celebrating and blessing the …

Interlake Maritime Services LOG, Summer 2021

interlakesteamshipadmin July 9, 2021Newsroom

Welcome to the first edition of the Interlake Maritime Services LOG, our new company-wide newsletter. The Interlake LOG was first published in the 1930s, originally as a safety newsletter. It has evolved over the years to include not only notable happenings in our fleet but also stories about those who power our company and the Great Lakes shipping industry. We hope you enjoy this publication! The Summer 2021 Interlake LOG

Boarding a freighter in the Soo Locks to deliver 5 doses of COVID vaccine

interlakesteamshipadmin May 12, 2021Media

SAULT STE. MARIE—In hard hats and safety vests, the two women shimmy up aluminum boarding ladders onto a converted World War II tanker. The rumble of the ship’s 8,040-horsepower engine makes conversation near-impossible on this blue sky morning. But public health workers Charity Zimmerman, a nurse, and Jill Schaefer, a clerk, know the drill on these steel giants that travel through the Soo Locks, the iconic commercial squeeze point between lakes Huron and Superior.

Great Lakes shipping season kicks off next week with early opening of Soo Locks

interlakesteamshipadmin March 16, 2021Media

Great Lakes freighter company prepping all 9 ships for 2021 season

interlakesteamshipadmin March 13, 2021Media

Stalled Ships: Shipping industry looks to infrastructure investments to boost demand

interlakesteamshipadmin January 26, 2021Media

The Great Lakes’ iconic freighters remained common sights on the waters – that much didn’t change during pandemic. But, like many industries, shipping was hit hard by COVID-19. That feels especially salient when shipping is such an integral piece of the Great Lakes economy.

Put to bed: Winter layup brings 4 ships to port of Duluth-Superior

interlakesteamshipadmin January 15, 2021Media

Mark Barker, president of Interlake Maritime Services, which manages the steamship company, described the season as “one of the most dynamic in recent history.” “It wasn’t necessarily a banner year for cargoes carried,” Barker said, “but I’m extremely proud of the resourcefulness and responsiveness of our entire industry and especially the women and men onboard our ships in keeping the American economy moving forward these last 10 months.”

Badger, PM 41 sold to Ohio shipping company

interlakesteamshipadmin December 30, 2020Media

The S.S. Badger, along with the Pere Marquette 41 and its tug, Undaunted, have been sold to a family-operated shipping company based out of Middleburg Heights, Ohio. Interlake Holding Company announced today the purchase of Lake Michigan Carferry Company and Pere Marquette Shipping Company. The acquisition signals the creation of a new business entity, Interlake Maritime Services, which will manage the new businesses along with The Interlake Steamship Company and its fleet of nine freighters.