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Duluth, MN – Superior, WI – Joshua Hebeisen
Brilliant rays of daybreak pierced the dark clouds looming over Lake Superior, illuminating a golden sky for American Century’s arrival in Duluth at 06:02. The footer made her way over to the Superior Midwest Energy Terminal, where Paul R. Tregurtha was topping off with low-sulfur western coal. The Queen of the Lakes would soon depart Duluth for power plants in St. Clair and Essexville at 07:57. Just after noon, Mesabi Miner was inbound the Zenith City once again to load ore at the CN Dock 6 shiploader. CSL Tadoussac arrived Superior to load Keetac pellets at BNSF an hour later, and American Century departed Duluth with coal to end the day’s traffic at 18:40. In a typical split load arrangement, the Century is carrying 38,000 tons in holds 1, 3, and 5 for St. Clair and 30,000 tons in holds 2 and 4 for Monroe. Lee A. Tregurtha is at Fraser Shipyards preparing to begin her season with an unknown departure time.
Two Harbors, MN – Silver Bay, MN – Gary Putney
CSL Laurentien arrived Two Harbors on June 4 at 03:00 and departed at 12:39 for Quebec City. American Integrity went to anchor off Duluth at approximately 06:50 to await south of #2. She left anchorage off Duluth at approximately 09:30 for Two Harbors. She arrived off Two Harbors at approximately 12:25 and arrived at 13:17 after CSL Laurentien departed. Due Two Harbors on June 5 is Presque Isle. Cliffs Northshore Mining in Silver Bay saw the arrival of Joseph L. Block on June 4 at 05:30. I believe she could be loading a partial load of pellets and a partial load of fines.
Southern Lake Michigan Ports – Joshua Hebeisen
Calumet Harbor, IL: Caroline McKee arrived at 23:20 late Friday night for the St. Marys Cement terminal eight miles down the Calumet River. The pair predictably departed for Charlevoix at 18:08 Saturday evening.
Indiana Harbor, IN: Wilfred Sykes departed Indiana Harbor West at 15:24 for Muskegon; she is likely delivering an aggregate cargo, possibly slag.
Gary, IN: Edwin H. Gott departed at 10:03 for Two Harbors.
St. Joseph – Benton Harbor, MI: Fan-favorite steamer Alpena, the oldest ship operating on the Great Lakes, proceeded inbound the St. Joseph River at 09:37 to discharge cement at the Lafarge facility. She was outbound for her namesake port at 15:49.
Goderich, ON – Bruce Douglas
Algoma Intrepid arrived 11:57 Saturday morning loading at Compass Minerals. Algoma Buffalo and Algoma Sault are expected next.
Detroit, MI – Windsor, ON – Joshua Hebeisen
After a quiet Friday, Detroit and Windsor were bustling all day Saturday with a healthy dose of traffic. The action started just minutes after midnight when Whitefish Bay arrived to unload at the Lafarge Windsor aggregate dock. As CSL’s newbuild tied up at the dock, her elder countrywoman Algoma Transport, sailing on her last legs, shifted from EES Coke to Mistersky to fuel for the downbound trip to Sandusky. She would depart at 03:56, at which point the anchored Sam Laud took her turn at the fuel dock. John J. Boland arrived for Carmeuse on the River Rouge at 04:11, with Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder following her in for U.S. Gypsum about 30 minutes later. Florence Spirit departed the west side of Zug Island at the mouth of the river and sailed downbound for Hamilton at 08:13. Sam Laud left Mistersky for anchor above the Ambassador Bridge, allowing Olive L. Moore/Menominee to fuel. Around noon, Whitefish Bay shifted to Windsor Salt, Sam Laud filled the new vacancy at the Lafarge aggregate dock, Olive L. Moore guided her barge out for Cedarville, Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder departed en route to Marblehead, and Federal Bering cast off from ADM bound for Montreal. Clyde S. VanEnkevort/Erie Trader stopped for Mistersky at 13:47 on their way to Calcite. Argentina Desgagnes weighed anchor and took the Bering’s spot at ADM around 14:30; Sam Laud departed within the hour for Sarnia. Algoma Buffalo was in port from 17:10 to 19:19 to fuel after the VanEnkevort tug/barge combo cleared the dock around 17:00. The Buffalo is due next in Goderich.
Lake Erie Ports – Bill Kloss
Monroe, MI: New York/Double Skin 509A was a late Saturday night arrival.
Toledo, OH: Departing at 09:45 were Clyde S. VanEnkevort/Erie Trader for Calcite. In port are Algoma Conveyor at Andersons and Wilf Seymour/Alouette Spirit. Evans Spirit arrived at 17:57.
Marblehead, OH: Herbert C. Jackson departed for Lorain at 03:31. Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder arrived at Holcim at 20:14.
Sandusky, OH: Calumet arrived at 09:16 to unload salt. She departed at 16:19. Algoma Transport arrived at 11:08 to load coal.
Lorain, OH: Herbert C. Jackson arrived at 06:12 with stone for Lafarge/Holcim. She left for Sandusky at 17:12.
Cleveland, OH: Harvest Spirit was erroneously reported as going to Monroe. She is in Cleveland, arriving at 05:11 to unload steel coils at the Port. Ebroborg departed late Friday night for Chicago. Laura L. VanEnkevort/Joseph H. Thompson departed for Bruce Mines at 17:25. Fednav’s Federal Freedom was a late night arrival.
Fairport Harbor, OH: Calumet left for Sandusky at 03:00.
Conneaut, OH: Edgar B. Speer left for Duluth at 17:40.
Nanticoke, ON: CSL Niagara arrived to unload ore at Stelco at 09:46. Algocanada departed for Sarnia at 12:44 and three minutes later, Algonorth docked at Imperial Oil.
Buffalo, NY – Brian Wroblewski
New York/Double Skin 509A arrived off Buffalo with a load of asphalt for Suite Kote in Tonawanda on the stormy evening of June 1 around 18:30. They anchored out for the night off the Buffalo Breakwall and came in the next morning. Tug New Jersey escorted them down to Tonawanda and helped New York wind her barge in the Niagara River. Double Skin 509A was all secure for unloading around 09:30, and the pair spent about a day at the dock before departing on the morning of the 3rd. New Jersey came back out to help and got them into the Black Rock Lock around 12:00. After passing the CN Harbor Draw Swing Bridge, New Jersey dropped in behind them as an escort, and the rest of the trip up to the lake went smooth. New York pushed all the way out past the markers and then switched their tow around in the open lake to “take the barge on a wire”. After that, they departed for Detroit and passed the inbound Ryba tug Kathy Lynn out near C.I.P. 16 on her way to Lackawanna with a consort of construction barges. She made it here around 20:00 and stopped in the Outer Harbor Southern Channel to rearrange the tow. After everything was made up, Kathy Lynn, a derrick boat, and one dump scow on the wall at the Gateway Metroport Terminal, Union Ship Canal Dock. They were tied up just above the knuckle in the wall halfway between the harbor and the pedestrian bridge near Rt. 5. Once everything was secure, the Lynn departed for Cleveland to pick up another set of barges.
Nova-Algoma’s cement carrier NACC Capri arrived from Bath, Ontario for the Holcim terminal on Ganson St. at 11:00 on June 4. She was winded in the Outer Harbor and towed stern-first by New Jersey at 11:30.
Manitoulin is due to arrive on the night of the 4th and will most likely go to anchorage off Buffalo until the Capri is towed out on the morning of the 5th. The river is too tight for her to pass.
Hamilton, ON – Joshua Hebeisen
Hamilton saw three departures and no arrivals on Saturday. Manitoulin departed with grain from Richardson at 08:38; she will deliver her cargo to Buffalo after transiting the Welland Canal. Iver Ambition was outbound for Belgium at 16:50 after spending several days at Ruetgers, and Harbour Progress followed her under the bridge minutes later after unloading UAN at Agrico. Puna remains loading grain at P&H, Federal Biscay is at Federal Marine Terminals with steel coils, and Solina and Chem Hydra at anchor in the inner harbor.