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Marine News - cont'd . 4. To make matters worse, despite the fact that formal investigations have in­ dicated that full fault for the accident lay with the bridge operator, in its defence of Paterson's civil action, the Seaway has claimed that naviga­ tional errors aboard WINDOC were the exclusive cause of the accident (oh, really? ) and the Seaway Corporation's operations director failed to comply with a subpoena in the action. As a consequence, the Federal Court of Canada has appointed a special judge to investigate the matter. The Paterson firm is seeking damages of $16. 9 million in its action. We had been watching over the winter months for any information about the forced sale by auction of the cruise ship ARCADIA, whose 2001 lake cruise project was halted after only a few weeks. Since then, the vessel has been lying at Montreal, and she remains there to this day. We have only sketchy information about the auction, but it would appear that the highest bidder was another Greek vessel operator, but this party did not cough up the pur­ chase money within the prescribed time. There then seemed to be some possi­ bility that the original owner might buy back the ship, thus skipping out on its debts. What we do know is that in early April, the ship was renamed CARIBIC STAR and hoisted the Panamanian flag in place of the flag of Greece. The Port of Montreal's current listing shows the vessel's agent to be Navi- trans Shipping Agencies Inc. It will be interesting to see what happens to this vessel in which a number of T. M. H. S. members sailed in 2001. Also listed by the Port of Montreal as currently being berthed there is the Korean tug HAEDONG STAR NO. 99, which had been under arrest as a result of damage sustained while she was towing the barge NORMAN McLEOD to Canada last year. It had been rumoured that she would be acquired by Upper Lakes Ship­ ping to tow two of its retired vessels to Far Eastern scrappers, but we never have had any formal confirmation of such. The Montreal port list does, however, currently show Upper Lakes Shipping as agent for the vessel. And speaking of NORMAN McLEOD, she still is being handled by the McKeil tug SALVOR. Her own tug, EVERLAST, is still lying at Sarnia, awaiting the arri­ val of parts necessary for the repair of engine damage suffered very shortly after the tug was put into service in late winter. Meanwhile, McAsphalt Ma­ rine's other tug/barge combo, JOHN SPENCE and McASPHALT 401, remain at the Heddle Marine yard at Hamilton, where they are undergoing refurbishment. A recent passage up the Seaway was made by the passenger catamaran AUK NU (U. S . 930077), which arrived at Sandusky, Ohio, on May 3rd. AUK NU, aluminum­ hulled, 99. 4 feet in length, was built at Sitka, Alaska, in 1988 as (a) ALASKAN DREAM. Her most recent Alaskan operator was Auk Nu Marine Services LLC, of Juneau. AUK NU has been acquired by Island Express Boat Lines Ltd., of Sandusky. She will be renamed (c) ISLAND ROCKET III and will be put on the service from Sandusky to the Lake Erie Islands. The company's other two ferries, ISLAND ROCKET and ISLAND ROCKET II, will now be running from Port Clinton to the Islands. Things have not been going well recently for THEODORE TOO, the "fun tugboat" which toured the lakes last summer. Her owner, Cochran Communications Incor­ porated, (registered owner is Cochran Marine Incorporated, Halifax) recently encountered difficulties and was placed in receivership on April 3rd. At that time, THEODORE TOO (C. 821598) was in North Carolina and she was retur­ ned to Halifax, laying up at a Coast Guard facility in Dartmouth on April25. There would appear to be much interest in THEODORE TOO, so there is hope that a buyer will be found for her as the Cochran assets are sold off. The self-unloading steamer WILFRED SYKES, of Central Marine Logistics Inc., has been seen in some unusual places this year. Usually occupied on the Lake Michigan ore run, she has had several loads of stone into Bay City and Sagi­ naw, and even a load of ore from Marquette to Rouge Steel. The backhaul for the latter trip was a load of coal from Toledo for Holland, Michigan. It had been four years since the SYKES had last been seen on Lake Erie. Central Ma­ rine Logistics also operates JOSEPH L. BLOCK, while EDWARD L. RYERSON is in