Sturgeon Bay shipbuilder gets contract for Great Lakes ship

A Sturgeon Bay shipyard will build what's believed to be the first ship built on the Great Lakes to service the Great Lakes states since 1983.

Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding entered into an agreement with The Interlake Steamship Company of Ohio to build a 639-foot bulk carrier.

Terms of the deal were not announced.

When it's completed in 2022, the ship will carry raw materials for manufacturers throughout the Great Lakes region.

The ship will be designed by Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding, The Interlake Steamship Company, and Bay Engineering with features to maximize cubic space for cargo and an automated unloading system.

This will be The Interlake Steamship Company's first new ship since 1981. The company has a fleet of nine ships.

Other partners in the project include American Bureau of Shipping, Caterpillar, EMD Engines, EMS Tech Inc, Lufkin (a GE Company), and MacGregor.