Office of Naval Research - National Transportation Library

Lakers are examples of self-propelled bulk cargo vessels designed specially for the GreatLakes. The vast majority of the Lakers are self-unloading dry bulk carriers, allowing thecargo to be released through hatches that feed a conveyor belt running along the bottoms ofthe ship. The configuration allows vessels to unload at a rate of up to 1,000 metric tons perhour without the need for shoreside personnel or equipment. Has a fleet of 13 AmericanFleet 1,000 feet (300 meter) Lakers that operate on the GLDLS. Single longest route is Portof Duluth-Superior down as far as Lake Erie Canal. Lakers carry iron ore and coal fordomestic steel production, transport coal for electricity, and move limestone for cementproduction. Because the upper lake ships operate exclusively on freshwater, they experienceless corrosion and enjoy life spans of up to 50 years, compared to 25 years for ocean goingships. The size of the Lakers prevents them from transiting Welland Canal so they operateonly in the upper four Great Lakes. 47RoRo Feeder Ships are a variation of a feeder containership used to convey vehicles or otherlarge cargo. In a RoRo ship containers are placed on wheeled conveyors that are drivenaboard the ship through cargo hold doors in the sides and stern of the ship, then thecontainers are moved by ramps and elevators to their places in the cargo hold. The driver'scab is detached from the conveyor and driven back on shore. The container and conveyorremain on board to be unloaded at their destination.Lighter (Barge) Aboard Ship (LASH) Vessels represent a higher-speed version of thecontainership. On LASH vessels, barges (lighters) loaded with cargo are hoisted on boardthe 800-feet long vessel by a crane on board the ship and stored in cargo holds. The hostvessel could be a break bulk ship on which the barge is directly loaded. The advantage ofLASH vessels is that they can be moved easily ashore or transported up rivers in areas thatlack marine facilities. Barge-carrying ships provide a new transport capability that mayinfluence military logistics in ports and over undeveloped beaches. To explore militaryapplications of these new 'floating containers,' DOD has conducted demonstration studieswhere LASH barges were used to perform a variety of sea tests at Coronado, California. Thetests related to barge towing, handling and maneuvering, barge marshalling (clustering) atsea, cargo handling from barges at sea, and helicopter/ barge interaction. The testsdemonstrated that cargo barges from commercial barge-carrying ships can be handled andunloaded by the amphibious forces.The U.S. Maritime Security Program (MSP) maintains a modern U.S.-flag fleet providingmilitary access to vessels and vessel capacity. As of October 1, 2008, the MSP fleetconsisted of the following 13 carriers and 59 U.S. flat vessels:1. American International Shipping, LLC (1 RO/RO vessel)2. APL Marine Services, Ltd. (9 containerships)3. Central Gulf Lines, Inc. (4 RO/RO vessels)4. Farrell Lines Inc. (2 RO/RO and 3 containerships)5. Fidelio Limited Partnership (7 RO/RO vessels)6. Hapag-Lloyd USA, LLC (5 Geared Container vessels)47 GLSLS Study: Final Report, Prepared for Transport Canada, USACE, USDOT, St. Lawrence SeawayManagement Corporation, St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, Environment Canada, U.S. Fish &Wildlife, Fall 2007.ONR SSS Final Report 44