Fincantieri/Bay Shipbuilding has announced that it has signed an agreement with Vanenkevort Tug and Barge of Escanaba, Michigan to construct an new self-unloading barge for transporting bulk products throughout the Great Lakes region at the yard in Sturgeon Bay. The 740-foot vessel will be environmentally friendly and delivered with the first Great Lakes ballast water treatment system meeting EPA standards. Vanenkevort Tug and Barge operates three articulated tug and barges and has a growing presence on the Great Lakes. Todd Thayse, Bay Ship’s Vice-President and General Manager, says he is pleased to see large-scale new construction operating on the Great Lakes being built on the Great Lakes. He says the new project brings steady work to the hundreds of women and men from across the region who are employed locally. The self-unloading Great Lakes barge is scheduled for completion in mid-2020.
