S.S. Badger [Image; Interlake Holding]
Interlake Holding Company has actually bought the properties of Pere Marquette Shipping Company and also Lake Michigan Car Ferry Company in a procurement that consists of 2 functioning Great Lakes vessels, the expressed tug-barge( ATB) Undaunted/Pere Marquette 41 and also the S.S. Badger, a historical passenger-and-car ferryboat that is the the last coal-burning steamship in the United States.
The procurement indicates the development of a brand-new organization entity, Interlake Maritime Services, which will certainly handle the brand-new companies in addition to The Interlake Steamship Company and also 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,” claims 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,” claims Robert Manglitz, President of Pere Marquette Shipping and alsoLake 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.”
Interlake claims the ATB Undaunted/Pere Marquette 41 is a workhorse on the Lakes lugging a range of freights that typical self-unloaders can not, such as big shield rock for break wall surfaces, pig iron, scrap and also 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 claims. “We look forward to working with them and building on the strong relationships that the previous owners and management have developed.”
While an automobile ferryboat might look like an uncommon possession for a fleet of Great Lakes self-unloading vessels, the Barker/Tregurtha family members that have Interlake Holding additionally very own Seastreak, a fleet of high-speed guest ferryboats that run in New York Harbor and also from numerous other places on the eastern shore consisting of New Bedford, Mass.
In acknowledgment of its heritage and also its relevance on the Great Lakes, the S.S. Badger has actually been assigned as aNational Historic Landmark Entering solution in 1953 it functioned as a rail auto ferryboat up until 1990 when it was disabled for a year prior to being bought and also exchanged an automobile ferryboat.
LMC and also Tug-Barge Executive Vice-President Don Clingan stated, “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.”
“As a maritime company, we understand how important the Badger connection between Ludington, Mich., and Manitowoc, Wis. is to those communities,” Barker claims. “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.”
