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MA R I N E NEWS 2. On April 5, 1991, the On tario Mi ni s t r y of Tr an sp o r t a t i o n and Port Weller Dry Docks c e l e b r a t e d the signing of the contract for the c o n st ru ct io n of the new ferry to serve Pelee Island, and on the 8th the shipyard an no unc ed that c o n s t r u c t io n would begin on June 1st, with de li ve ry scheduled for 31st May, 1992. The $26 m i l l i o n ferry will be 207'4" in length and will carry 400 passengers. As well, she will be able to take 40 cars, or 25 autos and two tr ac to r - t r a i l e r s per trip. The boat will be pow ere d by two 1, 400 h . p. diesel engines. She will run from Kin gs vi ll e and Leamington, Ontario, to Scudder and West Dock on Pelee Island, and from the island to Sandusky, Ohio. She will di splace the previous boat on the service, PELEE ISLANDER, which in turn will take the place of the smaller UPPER CAN ADA on her local route to the island. A most u n f o r t un a t e and serious accident has mar red the begin nin g of the first season of o p er at io n for Great Lakes Bulk Carriers, the co nso rti um rece nt ly formed to operate st ra ig ht -d ec k bulk carriers from the fleets of Canada Stea ms hi p Lines, Mi sener Sh ip pin g and Pioneer Shipping Ltd. On Friday, April 12th, near Varennes, below Montreal, there met the Al ge ria n bulker SERSOU, out bo un d w it h grain, and the laker SILVER ISLE, u p bo un d in ballast for Th under Bay. For a s - y e t - u n e x p l a i n e d reasons, the vessels were in volved in a sideswipe c o l li sio n which resulted in severe damage to both ships. On April 14, SERSOU moved dow nr iv er and anch ore d off Lauzon, where she still was lying on the 22nd, aw ait in g clearance from the au tho rit ies to leave C a n ad ia n waters. After the collision, SILVER ISLE went agr ou nd on Ste. Therese Island, but was r e f lo ate d on April 13 and was taken to a berth at Montreal. She had s u s ta in ed scrapes all the way down her port side, but also rec ei ve d long and deep gashes at the break of the forecastle (just below the level of the spar deck) and also amidships, caused by SERSOU's portside anchor flukes, while the overh ang of the salty's flaring bow ripped open the flush side of the laker's ac c o m m o d a t i o n aft. In fact, photos indicate that she looked as if she had been atta cke d by a giant canopener! SILVER ISLE rem ai ne d at Mo nt rea l until April 19, when she sailed for the sh ipyard at Port Weller. Repairs were co mm enc ed quic kly at the f i t out berth at Port Weller, the cost est im at ed in the $3 mill ion range and involving some 400 feet of steel plating. It is fortunate indeed that, al though it caused a great amount of damage, the co ll isi on did not result in any loss of life. The early spring brought bad news from the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Brief reports a p p ea ri ng in the Toronto press indic ate d that the McA ll is te r Towing & Salvage Inc. tug PATR IC IA B. McALLISTER, which was based at Montreal, sank in the Gulf off the Gaspe Peninsula on April 22nd during heavy weather. Searc he rs located one crewman who, alth oug h in dire straits from exposure after 36 hours on a liferaft, was still alive. Four bodies also were recovered, and one crew member was mis si ng and pr es ume d dead. No other details were available at the time of this writing. PAT RI CI A B. McA LL IS TE R (C. 810810) was built in 1976 and was 12 0 . 0 x 37. 0 x 17 . 0, 439 Gross Tons. Mc A l l i s t e r ' s most powerful tug at 6 , 100 h . p., she had been acquired by the towing com pa ny in 1988, ha ving p r e vi ou sl y been known as (a) ESSO SANTA CRUZ (87) and (b) SANTA CRUZ when she oper ate d in the Ne th er la nd s Antilles. On April 30th, the Ontario Provincial Police lain criminal charges as a result of i n v e s ti g a t io n into the ci rc ums tan ces of the March 18th collis ion in which the C a n ad ia n Coast Guard ship GRI FF ON sank the Port Dover fishtug CA PT AI N K., causing the deaths of the tug's three crewmen. GRIFFON'S master, Capt. Gordon Stogdale, and W i l l i a m Bennett, GRIFFON'S third officer, were each charged with three counts of da ng ero us operat ion of a vessel causing death and also criminal ne gli gen ce causing death. Stogdale had been on su spension from his duties with pay since shortly after the accident, but resigned his command about a week before the charges were laid. The results of the i n v e s t i ga ti on have not yet been made public.