New tankers enter Great Lakes as season opens

Chris Izworski, reporting from Bay City for the Great Lakes Gazette, notes that two foreign tankers are making their debut passages into the Great Lakes this week as the navigation season gains momentum. The Portuguese-flagged *Zea Lilian*, a 426-foot tanker, transited the Welland Canal on Sunday and was anchored above Sarnia, Ontario, by Monday evening—marking her first voyage into these waters. Close behind, the Swedish-operated *EK-Stream* followed through the canal Monday night, also Sarnia-bound for the Ektank AB operator in Göteborg. Both vessels represent the early wave of incoming traffic that typically marks the true opening of the season. On the domestic front, the Saginaw River welcomed its first vessel of the season when the cement barge *Integrity* and her tug *G.L. Ostrander* entered the river Sunday. The arrival marks recovery from earlier flooding that had prevented visits from other carriers in mid-April. The *Integrity* is now sporting new Amrize billboards, reflecting her recent change of ownership. Meanwhile, McKeil Marine's *Northern Venture* is undergoing propeller repairs at Port Weller Drydocks in Ontario after seasonal operational issues. Water levels across the system remain favorable for navigation. Lake Ontario leads at 3.39 feet above Low Water Datum, while Lake Erie sits at 2.71 feet and Lake Michigan at 1.82 feet. However, mariners should exercise caution: gale warnings remain in effect on Superior and Huron through this morning, with waves on Huron reaching 10 feet as a low-pressure system tracks northeast toward Ontario. Lake Michigan is transitioning to northwesterly winds with 5-foot waves. A new 76-foot Army Corps tug, the *H.J. Lawson*, departed Montreal on April 24 bound for Sault Ste. Marie on its delivery voyage—the sister ship to the *R.J. Pearce*, delivered last December. Both vessels honor long-serving engineers of the Detroit District.