Correction: Corrected September 17, 2026: the water-level paragraph was withdrawn because this imported legacy edition does not retain its underlying gauge snapshot. Its numerical readings and navigation implications are unverified. NOAA measurement context.
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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.
The original water-level paragraph has been withdrawn. This legacy edition was imported from a WordPress draft without the underlying gauge snapshot, so its numerical readings and navigation implications cannot be verified from the archived source data.
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.