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Marine News - cont'd . 4. borne on March 4th. Her downbound passage on the 25th took her as far as Wharf 10 at Welland, where she is being repowered by Fraser Marine & Indus­ trial. PELEE ISLANDER likely will be ready to return to service in June. The successful bidder for the integrated steel assets of the LTV Corporation is W. L. Ross & Co., LLC, of New York, and the bid has been approved by the U. S. Bankruptcy Court. The Ross firm specializes in the reorganization of financially troubled companies, and it plans to resume operations at former LTV plants, including the Cleveland and Indiana Harbor plants, although ac­ tual reactivation will require various labour agreements, etc. Ross is pay­ ing some $125 million for the assets, is assuming environmental and other liabilities, and took over the costs of maintaining hot idle status at the plants effective March 1st. The overall former LTV operation will be called International Steel Group Inc., although each of the plants will establish its own name. President and CEO of ISG will be Rodney Mott, formerly of the Nucor Corp. The recently published annual report of the Algoma Central Corporation contained confirmation that the 1961-built bulker ALGOGULF (ii), (a) J. N. MCWATTERS (ii)(91), (b) SCOTT MISENER (iv)(94), was sold for scrapping in December. International Marine Salvage Inc. is the buyer, and ALGOGULF like­ ly will be towed from Hamilton to Port Colborne this spring. Her sistership, ALGORIVER, now lying at Montreal, seems likely to go for scrap before long. Another straight-decker which seems to have reached the end of her career is the ULS Corporation's 1965-built CANADIAN VENTURE, (a) LAWRENCECLIFFE HALL (ii) (88), (b) DAVID K. GARDINER (94). Currently lying on the south side of Pier 35, in Toronto's Polson Street slip, the VENTURE has been stripped of some of her equipment, notably her controllable-pitch propeller, which is to be installed on the rebuilt CANADIAN CENTURY at Port Weller. Incidentally, the name has been painted off the CENTURY, and it is said that she will be renamed (b) JOHN D. LEITCH prior to re-entering service late this spring. Al­ though CANADIAN VENTURE would appear to be finished, CANADIAN MARINER re­ ceived a rather suprising early fitout and was upbound in the Welland Canal on opening day. Also in service this year, after sitting out the whole 2001 season, is GORDON C. LEITCH (ii). There has been much speculation as to how many of the vessels of the various U. S. lake fleets may sit out the 2002 season, at least until the former LTV steel plants resume operations. One vessel that apparently will not fit out is Erie Sand's RICHARD REISS. Oglebay Norton is presently working on comple­ tion of its acquisition of the Erie Sand businesses. The only other Erie ship, however, the sandsucker J. S. ST. JOHN has been fitting out and will be in service, just as if nothing had happened! The USS Great Lakes Fleet Inc., one of the few U. S. lake firms planning to put all (eight) of its ships in service this spring, has a new name conse­ quent upon the March 2001 acquisition by Blackstone Transportation Company of the remaining interest in the fleet and the other transportation entities that make up Great Lakes Transportation LLC. Henceforth, the "tinstack" fleet will be known simply as Great Lakes Fleet, Inc. No changes in colours of the ships are planned. There is much talk these days of ferry operations all over the lakes by as­ sorted interests. Canadian American Transportation Systems is still trying to start a fast ferry service between Toronto and Charlotte (Rochester) des­ pite the enormous task of creating the necessary infrastructure at the sou­ thern terminus of the proposed route. The company claims to have obtained some $62 million (U. S. ) in private financing, and now the New York State As­ sembly Speaker has promised to work to secure another $10 million in this year's state budget. Eyes are now turned northward, hoping that some level of government in Canada will come up with another U. S. $10 million. Although the public here seems generally unaware of the project, the governments seem to like it, although not one has stepped forward with any money.