Sturgeon Bay’s Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding, along with Vanenkevort Tug & Barge, Inc., have announced the completion and delivery of the “Michigan Trader”, a new self-unloading barge. This new barge, set to operate on the Great Lakes, measures 740 feet in length, 78 feet in beam, and 45 feet in depth, has a 265-foot unloading boom and a capacity for up to 37,000 long tons of cargo. Vanenkevort Tug & Barge president David Groh says the Michigan Trader will be the 4th self-unloading barge in their Great Lakes fleet and the 10th barge in their entire fleet, which also serves the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. The building project’s supply chain is a noteworthy aspect of the vessel’s completion. Substantial local suppliers include Broadwind Heavy Industries of Manitowoc which built the unloading boom, Northern Machine and Repair Inc. who provided its hatch covers, and Marine Travel-Lift in Sturgeon Bay who built the cargo hatch crane. Vanenkevort President Groh commented, “The repair work that Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding has completed for us over the years has been good. We have been happy to be able to bring this opportunity to bay ship and work with their talented workforce on this project.”
