News Photo by Jordan Spence Members of the International Shipmasters Association Northeast Michigan Lodge 19 and Presque Isle Lafarge employees welcome the Great Lakes Trader barge Capt. Bruce Messersmith and Chief Engineer Norman Nelson as Trader was the first ship of the season.

ALPENA — The first ship of the season made its way to the Lafarge Presque Isle Quarry Tuesday. The barge, named the Great Lakes Trader, is run by Capt. Bruce Messersmith and Chief Engineer Norman Nelson. The vessel is about 20 years old and can haul 34,000 tons of cargo.

To welcome the ship members of the International Shipmasters Association Northeast Michigan Lodge 19, and Lafarge Presque Isle employees met Nelson and Messersmith and received a tour.

For this trip Messersmith said they will haul about about 32,500 tons of limestone to Windsor, which is about an 18 hour trip.

“This is my 11th season. I’ve been on this boat since day one,” Messersmith said.

The Trader has a unique design because it is both a tugboat and barge, Nelson said.

“One of the benefits of the tug and barge design is we can break our own ice,” Nelson said.

There are two large steel pins that connect the tugboat to the barge. If there is enough ice stopping the barge the tugboat can disconnect, cut up the ice and then reconnect to the barge and continue on its path.

The ship engines create a total of 10,000 horsepower.

“We even have our sewage treatment plant on board. We have every system here a big city has,” Nelson said.

Lafarge Materials Performance Supervisor Tim Cordes said there is usually a lot of preparation involved for the first ship.

“The weather is unpredictable and we’re trying to accommodate the winds, ice and any possible precipitation,” he said.

He said during a typical season there are about 200 to 300 barges travel to the Lafarge port.

Shipmasters President Patrick Hart said this kind of event helps to bring attention to maritime history.

“The whole maritime industry is a forgotten industry. So many things are tied to it — how roads are made, how buildings are built,” Hart said.

Jordan Spence can be reached via email at jspence@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5687.

News Photo by Jordan Spence
Members of the International Shipmasters Association Northeast Michigan Lodge 19 and Presque Isle Lafarge employees welcome the Great Lakes Trader barge Capt. Bruce Messersmith and Chief Engineer Norman Nelson as Trader was the first ship of the season.