Interlake Holding Company revealed today the acquisition of the possessions of Pere Marquette Shipping Company as well as Lake Michigan Car Ferry Company in a purchase that consists of 2 functioning Great Lakes vessels, the verbalized tug-barge Undaunted-Pere Marquette 41 as well as the historical passenger-and-car ferryboat S.S. Badger.
The purchase indicates the production of a brand-new service entity, Interlake Maritime Services, which will certainly take care of the brand-new organizations together with The Interlake Steamship Company as well as its fleet of 9 trucks.
“This is an exciting day for us and we are thrilled to be welcoming new employees into our Interlake family, new vessel lines into our Great Lakes operations, and new customers and cargoes into our portfolio of business,” stated Mark W. Barker, head of state of Interlake Holding.
“There are many synergies between our family-owned and operated companies and this deal was a good fit for all of us from the beginning,” stated Robert Manglitz, President of Pere Marquette Shipping as well asLake Michigan Car Ferry “It was critical for us to find not only a highly committed and capable vessel operator but also a company that shared our culture of putting its employees and customers first.”
A distinct ATB, the Undaunted-Pere Marquette 41 is a workhorse on the Lakes lugging varied freights that standard self-unloaders can not such as big shield rock for break wall surfaces, pig iron, scrap as well as various other assorted products.
“We are adding capacity and assets in areas that our customers have identified a need for. This is a market we have been looking at for some time and this strategic acquisition will allow us to participate in it with a proven asset and a respected customer base,” Barker stated. “We look forward to working with them and building on the strong relationships that the previous owners and management have developed.”
(Photo: Interlake Holding Company)
While a cars and truck ferryboat might feel like an uncommon possession for a fleet of Great Lakes self-unloading vessels, the Barker/Tregurtha family members that possess Interlake Holding additionally very own Seastreak, a fleet of high-speed guest ferryboats that run in New York Harbor as well as from different other places on the eastern coastline consisting of New Bedford, Mass.
LMC as well as Tug-Barge Executive Vice-President Don Clingan mentioned, “Car ferries in Ludington have been an icon and important economic driver for the community for more than 100 years. When the Badger ended service in November of 1990, many employees and local citizens believed that the era of car ferry service had ended. The rebirth of the Badger in 1992 marked a major milestone in maritime history on the Great Lakes. Now, 29 years later, another milestone has been achieved with the sale of the company to a highly qualified new owner who will extend the legacy of the Badger into the future for both port cities of Ludington and Manitowoc.”
In acknowledgment of its heritage as well as its relevance on the Great Lakes, the Badger has actually been marked as aNational Historic Landmark “As a maritime company, we understand how important the Badger connection between Ludington, Mich., and Manitowoc, Wis. is to those communities,” Barker stated. “Interlake is fully committed to continuing its operation as the largest cross-lake passenger service on the Great Lakes, a key part of US10 highway and a vital link across Lake Michigan.”