Michigan Trader
2020-Present
Articulated Barge, Self-Unloading Bulk Carrier; Paired with Tugboat Dirk S. VanEnkevort
Specs
Build Information
Year Built: 2020
Builder: Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding, Sturgeon Bay, WI
Hull #787
Registry: U.S. 1304610
IMO #–
Laid Down: May 10, 2019
Launch Date: May 2020
Commissioned: November 20, 2020
Paired Tugboats:
- Dirk S. VanEnkevort [2020-Present]
Construction
The Michigan Trader was constructed in 2020 as an articulated self-unloading barge by Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, for VanEnkevort Tug & Barge of Escanaba, Michigan. She was equipped with a Hydraconn Articulated Tug/Barge connection system, which was pioneered by her owners. She was paired with the tugboat Dirk S. VanEnkevort. She was launched between May 27 and May 30, 2020, and was delivered to her owners in October 2020.
The Michigan Trader was the third of three similarly designed barges, the other two being the Great Lakes Trader of 2000 and the Lakes Contender [Erie Trader, 2017] of 2012. All of these barges are currently under ownership of VanEnkevort Tug & Barge.
Her self-unloading equipment consists of a single hold belt and an aft loop-belt system feeding a 265′ deck-mounted boom.
General Stats
Length Overall [Combined Tug & Barge]: 857′
Length Overall [Barge]: 740′
Breadth: 78′
Depth: 45′
Loaded Draft: 30′
Capacity: 37,512 Tons
Vessel Type: Loop-Belt Self-Unloader; Articulated Barge
Self-Unloading Boom Length: Aft-Mounted; 265′
Number of Cargo Holds: 7 [Hatch-Hold Arrangement: –]
Number of Hatches: 26 [Dimensions: 44’x11′]
Primary Operations: Ore, Stone Trades
History
Lineage
Michigan Trader – 2020-Present
Owner: VanEnkevort Tug & Barge, Escanaba, MI
Operator: VanEnkevort Tug & Barge
Flag: United States
Home Port: Escanaba, MI
Her Story
VanEnkevort Tug & Barge signed a construction contract with Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in summer of 2017 for a new 740′ barge similar to their barges Great Lakes Trader and Erie Trader. The new barge, named Michigan Trader was constructed in 2020 as an articulated self-unloading barge. She was equipped with a Hydraconn Articulated Tug/Barge connection system, which was pioneered by her owners. She was paired with the tugboat Dirk S. VanEnkevort, which is the former Joseph H. Thompson Jr. The tug underwent a refit at Donjon Shipbuilding & Repair at Erie, Pennsylvania while the barge was under construction. She was launched between May 27 and May 30, 2020, and delivered to her owners in October 2020.
Michigan Trader / Dirk S. VanEnkevort departed Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, on their maiden voyage on November 20, 2020.
Compiled By Brendan Falkowski
Updated on January 8, 2021
Gallery
Sources
Greenwood’s Guide to Great Lakes Shipping 2016, Harbor House Publishers, 2016. Pp. 4.10.
LeLievre, Roger. Know Your Ships 2020. Marine Publishing Company, 2020. Pp. 86.
Wharton, George. “Great Lakes Trader”. Great Lakes & Seaway Shipping Online. N.d. Accessed 11 June 2020. http://boatnerd.com/pictures/fleet/greatlakestrader.htm
Shipwatcher News Great Lakes Ships 