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M ARINE NEWS 2. R e t u r n i n g to lake trade under the C a n a d i a n flag during 1993 was the A l g o m a Central Marine 1978-built self-unloader ALGOBAY, w h i c h spent the recent winter laid up at Port Colborne. ALGO B A Y w i l l not be flying the Algoma black bear houseflag in the forese e a b l e future, however, for she has been ch a r t e r e d for three years to Canada Ste a m s h i p Lines Inc., and over the E a s ter week end, the vessel was renamed (b) A T L A N T I C TR A D E R as she fitted out for the ne w season. She since has been trad i n g through the Seaway, so she has not gone e n t i r e l y into salt-water service. Idle through the 1993 season at Toronto was the Upper Lakes Shipping 1952built steamer JAMES NORRIS, w h i c h was c o n v e r t e d to a s e l f - u n l o a d e r in 1981. Since her conversion, she n o r m a l l y has o p e r a t e d on the Lake Ontario stone trade from Colborne to Clarkson, but her services were not r e q u i r e d in 1993. On April 7th, however, the NORRIS arrived u n d e r tow at Port Weller Dry Docks where she was to be given survey and i n s p e c t i o n as well as a general refurbishing. We u n d e r s t a n d that the NO R R I S will find a new n ic he in the salt trade during the 1994 season. After m a n y months of s p e c u lation by o b s ervers as to how the pre d i c t e d b r e a k up of the fleet of GLBC Inc. (Great Lakes Bulk Carriers) would occur, a p p r o val has been given by C a n a d i a n federal a u t h o r i t i e s subject, we u nderstand, to r e v i e w after three years to ensure that a m o n o p o l y has not been created. The GLBC ships, w h i c h a c t u a l l y were owned by Canada St e a m s h i p Lines Inc., Misener H o l dings Ltd. and Pion eer Shipping Ltd., will now be owned either by A lgoma Central Marine or by ULS Corporation, and will be o p e rated by Seaway Bulk Carriers, the m a r k e t i n g c onsortium that alre a d y o p e r a t e d the straightdeck bul k carriers of the A l g o m a and ULS fleets. Of the fifteen GLBC ships (Pioneer's S A S K A T C H E W A N PIONEER will be u n d e r FedNav charter and thus not involved in the deal), Upper Lakes S h i p p i n g will take over o w n e r s h i p of BLACK BAY, DAVID K. GARDINER, LEMOYNE, PETER MISENER, R A L P H MISENER, M U R R A Y BAY and RIMOUSKI. BAIE ST. PAUL appears also to be i n v olved but will not operate. The r e maining ships, JOHN A. FRANCE, SCOTT MISENER, RICHELIEU, SENNEVILLE, SILVER ISLE, SIMCOE and W I N N I P E G will be u nder Algoma ownership. Various renames will take place, but details are not c o n f i r m e d at this time. Some of the older vessels in the Algoma and ULS fleets ma y be dis c a r d e d with the a c q u i s i t i o n of the GLBC vessels, but ULS faces a p a r t i c u l a r p r o b l e m in that C . M . U. crews cannot be placed on ships f o r merly o p e rated by S . I . U. crews for at least a year. Accordingly, w i t h the Se a w a y Bulk Carriers ships busy w i t h a large early m o v ement of U . S. grain, U pper Lakes fitted out all of its straight-deckers, except C A N A D I A N HUNTER, w h i c h r e m a i n e d idle at Toronto. Even SEAWAY QUEEN was placed in service, d e p a r t i n g Toronto on April 26th. A l g o m a also fitted out ALGOCAPE, (a) CAROL LAKE (87), w h i c h w i n t e r e d at Toronto, but it w ould appe ar that a deal has been c o n s u m m a t e d for her sale to other operators. In an earlier issue, we noted the sale of the Groupe D e s gagnes Inc. m o t o r ship ST E L L A DESGAGNES, (a) T E C U M S E H (67), (b) NEW Y O R K NEWS ( I I I ) (86), to d e e p-sea operators. In an effort to remove her from C a n a d i a n waters, her new owners took the ship, renamed BEAM BEGINNER, from M o n t r e a l to TroisRivieres, but she got no further due to h e a v y ice cond i t i o n s and damage s u f fered by the vessel. She remained at T r o i s - R i v i e r e s from D e c e m b e r 31st to J a n u a r y 15th, at w h i c h time she was towed to Becancour. At last report, she was b eing detained at Becancour by the C a n a d i a n Coast Guard, with no i n d i c a tion of whe n or if she would sail for w a r m e r climes. Our w i n t e r lay-up listings u n f o r t u n a t e l y c o n t a i n e d errors in respect of the v essels w i n t e r i n g at Valleyfield, Quebec, and at Hamilton, Ontario. At V a l leyfield, we showed the ven e r a b l e lighter (and former steamship and m o t o r vessel MAPL EHEATH, [a] TOILER), but we n o w learn that the 83-year old hull of M A P L E H E A T H was scrapped there during 1993 by V a l l e y f i e l d Metal. The hull bore the name of M c A l l i s t e r Towing & Salvage painted dow n its sides right to the end, even though the vessel latterly served as a static c a r g o - h a n d l i n g