Navigation Season Begins

Another cargo shipping season is underway on the Great Lakes. The season officially opened on March 25, 2015 and The Great Lakes Towing Company Tug MISSOURI was on time to assist the USS Great Lakes Fleet EDWIN H. GOTT downbound the Soo Locks. The locks have been closed since January 15 to undergo repairs and maintenance. Then on March 26, 2015, Tug NORTH CAROLINA  broke ice for Interlake Steamship Company MESABI MINER at the port terminal in Duluth.

“We’re looking forward to the new navigation season,” said Joe Starck, President of The Great Lakes Towing Company & Great Lakes Shipyard. “Our Captains and crews from across the Great Lakes visited our headquarters in Cleveland for Fleet Performance Training just a few weeks ago in preparation of the new season. Each employee spent a week in training courses on topics ranging from fire safety to USCG requirements to environment awareness. The Captains and crews are optimistic about the upcoming navigation season and look forward to getting back on the water to provide safe and reliable towing services to all of our customers. As many of the Captains said to me during training, ‘we will do the right thing with no shortcuts,’ and we will do that in a professional, world-class way.”

Ready & Willing: The Towing Company’s Fleet Performance Training

The Great Lakes Towing Company underwent its annual Fleet Performance Training the weeks of March 9 – 13 and March 16 – 20. Company Tug Captains, Engineers, and Deckhands from all of the various ports across the Great Lakes meet annually for this meeting to undergo training, learn about changes in U.S. Coast Guard regulations and Company policy, and discuss relevant industry topics. Training included:

• Environmental Awareness & Pollution Prevention
• EPA Vessel General Permit
• Oil Spill Response
• Bilge Water Management
• Waste Oil Management
• Marine Fire Prevention, Training, and Firefighting
• Maritime Safety
• Eye Safety & Hearing Protection
• Marine Confined Space
• USCG UTV Requirements
• Hypothermia & Frostbite
• Ladder Safety
• Lockout/Tagout
• Back and Neck Injury Prevention
• Towboat/Maritime HazCom
• Slips, Trips, & Falls
• Winter Safety
• Company Policy and Procedure