Two years ago, we posted about the keel laying of the Interlake Steamship Company‘s bulk carrier MV Mark W. Barker at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay, WI. The ship is now completing sea trials and is expected to enter service this summer.
The 639 ft-long, 26,000-tonne Lake-Class self-unloading bulker is the first US flag self-propelled bulk carrier to be built in the Great Lakes in 35 years and the first new-build for Interlake since 1981.
Once in service, she will carry all types of cargo throughout the freshwater Lakes and River systems. The ship was specifically designed to navigate the tight bends of the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland.
Mark W. Barker is named for Interlake’s President and second-generation leader of the family-owned-and-operated Interlake Steamship fleet.
The Mark W. Barker is the first ship on the Great Lakes with engines that meet EPA Tier 4 emissions standards.
She is powered by twin EMD main engines generating 8,000 total horsepower turning a single four-blade, controllable-pitch propeller through a Lufkin twin-input, single-output gearbox. She also has 1,000-hp Kongsberg bow and stern thrusters. A Kongsberg high-lift rudder optimizes the wake through the propeller.
Five large hydraulically controlled stackable MacGregor hatches, more commonly found on ocean-going vessels, offer enhanced flexibility with project cargoes and expedite loading operations.
Unlike most Great Lakes freighters, the Mark W. Barker has a square-shaped, flat-bottomed cargo hold instead of a traditional V-shaped angled bottom that funnels bulk cargo onto conveyor belts for offloading.
The combination of larger hatch openings and additional cargo hold space was designed with future cargoes in mind to include non-free-flowing cargoes such as wind-turbine blades.
In addition, the unloading boom is located on the forward end of the ship, offering flexibility for cargo operations in congested ports.
The new ship bucks a trend away from self-propelled lakers toward Articulated Tug Barges (ATB). The most recent large ATB built on the Great Lakes was the 740 ft-long, 36,900-ton barge Michigan Trader paired with the 125 ft-long tug Dirk S. VanEnkevort. Michigan Trader / Dirk S. VanEnkevort departed Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, on their maiden voyage on November 20, 2020. ATBs tend to operate with smaller crews.
Interlake Steamship currently operates a fleet of nine self-unloading vessels, including one ATB, ranging in carrying capacity from 24,000 to 68,000 gross tons, and has a total trip capacity of 390,360 gross tons. Interlake carries approximately 20 million tons of cargo annually.