Great Lakes Group                        Miller Boat Line

           4500 Division Avenue                    P.O. Box 239

           Cleveland, Ohio  44102                 Put-in-Bay, Ohio  43456

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Contacts:
Joseph  Starck                                                                                                            
Great Lakes Group 216-367-8126

Scott Market

Miller Boat Line 419-304-2056

MILLER BOAT LINE AWARDS CONTRACT TO GREAT LAKES GROUP

            For 40 Foot Mid-Body Extension of Ferry

CLEVELAND, OHIO (October 5, 2009) - Great Lakes Shipyard, a division of The Great Lakes Group, has been awarded a contract by Miller Boat Line, Put-in-Bay, Ohio, to fabricate and install a new 40 foot mid-body extension in the passenger/vehicle ferry Put-in-Bay.

The contract was awarded on August 17, 2009, and all work is underway at Great Lakes Shipyard's

state-of-the-art facilities on the South Bank of the Old River Channel, on Cleveland's Cuyahoga River. The project is slated for completion by year end.

Miller Boat Line operates a fleet of four all-steel passenger/vehicle ferries, each approximately 96-feet in length, which run on Lake Erie from Catawba to the islands of Put-in-Bay (South Bass Island) and Middle Bass Island, Ohio.

The mid-body extension of the Put-in-Bay will make the vessel 136-feet overall in length and will enable it to carry up to eight additional full size automobiles or an additional 100 passengers.  The project also includes the installation of new rudders, a new steering system, and a new main engine keel cooling system.

Miller Boat Line principal Scott Market said, “After a thorough source selection process, Great Lakes Shipyard was our clear choice. We are especially pleased to be working with an Ohio-based company.”

The Great Lakes Group has been in Cleveland since 1899.  In 2007, the company built a new fabrication and repair facility on the Cuyahoga River for the construction of unique custom designed marine products, such as the mid-body section, and for tug and barge construction.

Information about The Great Lakes Group can be found online at www.thegreatlakesgroup.com.

Miller Boat Line ferries are the only scheduled means of transporting passengers, freight, vehicles and commercial vehicles to the Lake Erie islands of Put-in-Bay and Middle Bass Island, Ohio. More information about Miller Boat Line can be found online at www.millerferry.com.

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