Northern Venture Heads to Drydock for Propeller Repairs

The Northern Venture departed Port Colborne yesterday afternoon, towed by McKeil Marine tugs Jarrett M. and Wyatt M. toward Ontario Shipyards in Port Weller for propeller repairs. The vessel had been loading at London Agricultural Commodities before the tugs took her in hand Wednesday, signaling the start of seasonal vessel movements across the basin as the navigation season opens. Water levels remain favorable across all five lakes heading into mid-April. Lake Ontario is running 3.00 feet above Low Water Datum at Rochester, with Lake Erie at 2.59 feet and Lake Michigan at 1.86 feet. Superior and Huron are slightly lower — 1.04 and 1.17 feet respectively — but still well within normal range for spring. These conditions support standard draft operations across the system. A weak low-pressure system is moving through the central Great Lakes today, bringing scattered showers to Huron and light wind patterns to Superior and Michigan. Lake Huron is seeing modest 2-foot waves as the low tracks eastward; the rest of the system shows calmer conditions. A powerful cold front is forecast to cross Saturday, so vessels should monitor forecasts closely through the weekend. The season is ramping up with repair work and cargo operations resuming across the ports. Northern Venture's drydocking is routine maintenance as the fleet prepares for full spring and summer traffic.