Drummond Dolomite Ship Loader & Sea Wall Improvements

Joint Application to U.S. DOT – Maritime Administration’s Port Infrastructure Development Program
 

Grant Project Plans and Request for Public Feedback
 

The Chippewa County Economic Development Corporation plans to seek funding through the Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) grant as part of a joint application with Drummond Dolomite, Inc. to support improvements at Drummond Dolomite’s Drummond Island facility in northern Michigan on Lake Huron. While final application plans are being refined, we anticipate requesting an estimated $10.1 million from the PIDP Small Projects at Small Ports program to complete necessary ship loader and sea wall improvements to support the increased shipment of dolomite limestone by lake freighters from this facility to ports throughout the Great Lakes. Grant and match-funded activities will improve current conditions that cause delays during turbulent conditions and allow the facility to support larger, more efficient vessels with higher cargo load capacity. Upon completion of this project, Drummond Dolomite will realize an estimated 20% increase in materials shipped annually.

Drummond Dolomite operates the freighter loading dock and material processing area along the western portion of Drummond Island. Four miles east of the dock is their massive 2,500-acre quarry that supplies the aggregate shipped from this facility. Drummond Island, located one-mile east of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula across Lake Huron’s De Tour Passage, has underlying limestone rock with high magnesium and calcium carbonate content that is mined at Drummond Dolomite’s quarry. The magnesium-rich limestone, known as dolomite, produced from this facility is primarily used in the steel, agricultural, and construction industries.

Dolomite limestone is in high demand and Drummond Dolomite is striving to meet customer needs. Unfortunately, their current dock and loading system is not designed to serve certain larger and taller Class II vessels that are becoming more common in the shipping industry as older freighters are replaced. These loading constraints require the use of vessels that typically have significantly less cargo capacity; therefore, more ships are needed for material transport than would be necessary if Drummond Dolomite’s facility could accommodate larger vessels. If larger vessels could be used at this facility, more tons would be hauled annually and significantly less fuel would be consumed, as the older vessels are much less efficient. Improvements along the sea wall will allow for substantially improved vessel mooring conditions that will be especially beneficial for vessel workers during turbulent conditions.

This PIDP project will advance the company’s ongoing effort to meet the large and growing product demand. PIDP grant and match-funded activities will result in the installation of critical vessel loading improvements while addressing current conditions related to capacity, efficiency, and reliability and is currently planned to include:

Ship Loader System Improvements - A new ship loader will be purchased and installed as an addition to the modified existing structure, extending the system 60 feet north. The new loader will have a longer boom to load wider vessels and will be 15-20 feet higher to clear taller vessels.

Sea Wall Improvements - Sea wall improvements will consist of six major scope items: (1) Selective demolition of the sunken vessel and fresh water system/pump house decommissioning/ demolition; (2) Installation of new sheet pile on the dock face; (3) Installation of a mooring cell to the north of the existing dock; (4) Installation of new tie back structure for the new wall; (5) Installation of bollards, and; (6) Completion of miscellaneous repairs and improvements throughout the existing sea wall to address deficiencies identified in a 2019 inspection report and completion of dredging activities.

We welcome the opportunity to provide additional information on the current facility operations, critical funding needs, or grant application plans.