Cleveland, OH – The Great Lakes Towing Company (GLT) a leader in specialized marine services, including harbor towing, ice breaking, emergency response, vessel repair and construction, and machine shop services, today announced the acquisition of the Fireboat ANTHONY J. CELEBREZZE, formerly owned by the city of Cleveland, OH.

The purchase is intended to provide GLT with a firefighting platform for response to a shipboard or shoreside fire, particularly in those ports where a high volume of winter ship repair work is performed.  The Company can also utilize the Fireboat to respond to shipboard fires while a vessel is underway.

The 61-foot CELEBREEZE is a twin screw, 600 HP tug, equipped with two (2) fire pumps and five (5) monitors, providing a total of 6,000 gallons per minute of off-ship firefighting capacity. Great Lakes Shipyard, a division of GLT, has provided drydocking, maintenance, and repair services to the vessel for decades, and is very familiar with its systems and operation.

In early 2022, GLT signed an exclusive agreement with Resolve Marine to provide OPA 90 Salvage and Marine Firefighting (SMFF) services in U.S. Coast Guard District 9. The joint arrangement ensures continuity of service for all Resolve Marine clients in Buffalo, Detroit, Lake Michigan, Sault Saint Marie, and Duluth COTPs. Ships with vessel response plans for the Great Lakes COTP zones, even if they are not Resolve Marine clients, can also be served under the agreement. 

As part of GLT’s agreement with Resolve Marine, the Company stores a 20-foot container loaded with firefighting and dewatering pump systems at its Great Lakes Shipyard facilities in Cleveland.  The container can be loaded aboard any tug to mobilize the equipment, which can then be put in service onsite to safely and efficiently mitigate damage from a fire or other incidents.

GLT continues to bolster its capabilities to help ensure the safety and efficiency of marine operations. The acquisition of the Fireboat, coupled with the strategic partnership with Resolve Marine, demonstrates GLT’s commitment to provide top-tier services in emergency response and marine firefighting. With this new addition to their fleet, GLT is well-positioned to further contribute to the safety and security of its customers in the Great Lakes maritime industry.

The CELEBREZZE was constructed in 1961 by Paach Marine in Erie, Pennsylvania and was named after Cleveland’s 49^th mayor.  The Fireboat has been a valuable resource for the Cleveland Fire Department, serving as a base for the dive team and facilitating firefighting operations along the river and on the Lakefront.  It has also played a vital role in supplying water to companies working on the shoreline.