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3. Marine News - cont'd. "The Daily News", of Chatham, Ontario, reported on February 5th that Jack Gordon, president of Inland Ocean Lines, had said that he hopes that the company will have the ferry LAKE KING (currently Northumberland Ferries' PRINCE NOVA) in service between Cleveland and Erieau by July 1st, despite the lack of support from the Erieau village council. LAKE KING reportedly would make three trips from Erieau each day, docking a property occupied by the aggregates yard of Johnston Brothers, which is zoned for nautical use. The report indicated that about 80 percent of the approximately $1. 5 million needed in start-up financing for the current proposal had been committed but not obtained, and that a $100, 000 deposit had to be put down on the PRINCE NOVA by February 15th. The death occurred at St. Catharines on February 16, 1997, of Ralph Scott Misener, at age 88. He had joined the Misener family's shipping interests in 1934, and spent thirty years in Winnipeg, where for a time he was president of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers football club. After the death of his father, Capt. Robert Scott Misener in 1963, Ralph took over control of the Misener fleet and he moved to St. Catharines in 1964. He remained active in the business until the mid-1980s. Ever since the self-unloader conversion of CANADIAN NAVIGATOR was announced in 1996, there has been speculation amongst observers as to whether the ship would have a forward-mounted boom or one located aft. To put an end to the confusion, we can confirm that the boom will be mounted aft. As previously described, CANADIAN NAVIGATOR'S unloading gear will be an interesting blend of conveyor and scraper technology. Fednav Ltd., of Montreal, has recently moved to increase its marine hold­ ings. It has acquired the Canadian government's 51 percent interest in Canarctic Shipping, owner of the icebreaking oil/bulk carrier ARCTIC, which was built at Port Weller in 1978. Then, in December, Fednav reached agree­ ment with Gulf Canada Resources Ltd., of Calgary, to acquire the Polar class icebreaker KALVIK, 266 feet in length, which was built in 1983 at Victoria, British Columbia. KALVIK is the sistership of the TERRY FOX, also built in 1983, which is operated by the Canadian Coast Guard. The two ships are the most powerful icebreakers presently available in Canada. There are indications that the long-idle tanker CONGAR (III), (a) IMPERIAL LONDON (78), (b) TEGUCIGALPA (79), may not be entirely scrapped at Toronto but rather converted into some sort of deck barge, despite the fact that her bulbous bow and extended stern would seem to make her a peculiar candidate for such service. Her forward trunk deck and bridge structure have been re­ moved as the long-derelict vessel lies on the south wall of the Ship Chan­ nel to the west of the Hearn generating plant. The former Canadian Dredge & Dock Company steam dredge PRIMROSE, which pre­ sently is lying in the Leslie Street slip off the Toronto Turning Basin, has reportedly been acquired by the Club Canamac Cruises interests and will be taken to Windsor for use as the excursion company's wharfboat and customs shed there. The company operates AURORA BOREALIS out of Windsor, as well as the two SUNRISE hydrofoils. We earlier reported that there were plans for a cross-border tug/barge ope­ ration on Lake Superior, based in Ontonagon, Michigan. More information was made available in January concerning a two-year pilot project which is to begin in 1998. The Ontonagon County Economic Development Corp. has agreed to acquire six former U. S. Navy Cherokee class tugs for the project, and they will be used in conjunction with four railferry barges which, along with a "leveling dock" have been acquired by the Escanaba & Lake Superior Railroad. The barges reportedly are "being improved to make sure they are able to na­ vigate Lake Superior. The barges were not identified in the press report, but we wonder if three of them might be the former Norfolk Southern car- floats MANITOWOC, ROANOKE and WINDSOR which currently are lying at Toledo. * * * * *