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Duluth, MN – Superior, WI – Joshua Hebeisen
CSL Niagara yielded BNSF Dock 5 to the anchored Algoma Conveyor early Sunday morning when she cleared for Nanticoke at 00:33. As the Conveyor completed the swap at 01:06, her fleetmate and class head Algoma Equinox was left all by herself to wait off the Superior piers. Also waiting farther north on the lake was 1,004-foot Mesabi Miner, crawling towards the Duluth Entry at a slow pace in anticipation of American Integrity’s impending departure from SMET. The two footers traded places at around 04:30, with the Integrity departing with coal for St. Clair and the Miner taking the dock to load. G.L. Ostrander/Integrity were inbound just 30 minutes later with a load of cement for Holcim. Making their first visit of the season, the pair is a change of pace from the Samuel de Champlain/Innovation cement runs the Twin Ports have seen so far in 2022. Joseph L. Block cast off from the shiploader portion of CN Dock 6 and made the short trip west for CN-Hallett Dock 5. The vessel would shift between Hallett and the CN 6 gravity chutes multiple times throughout the afternoon and evening while apparently taking on a load of blast furnace trim. Algomas Conveyor and Equinox exchanged places in Superior between 12:30 and 14:15, with the former sailing off over the horizon for Hamilton. Mesabi Miner departed Duluth at 16:01 with a split load of coal for St. Clair and Monroe. Despite all the day’s traffic, the highlight was a 19:00 primetime welcome home party for Great Lakes Fleet steamer Philip R. Clarke, riding high and proud as she arrived at her home port of Duluth, Minnesota for the first time in over two years with a booming master’s salute. The Clarke headed to CN Dock 6 to load ore, passing her fleetmate Presque Isle – whom she is filling in for – undergoing repairs at Fraser Shipyards. A lengthy load at Gavilon for Polsteam saltie Iryda was finally completed late Sunday night after an unusual nine days in port. Pilot on board, the vessel slipped beneath the Aerial Lift Bridge at 23:42 and out to the lake. Maxima was expected to arrive from anchor shortly.
Marquette, MI – Joshua Hebeisen
Lee A. Tregurtha arrived at 13:39 for the south side of the LS&I dock. Once secured, she extended her boom to port and began to discharge her stone cargo into the receiving tower.
Port Inland, MI – Andrew Meyer
Saginaw departed late on Saturday evening, being replaced within 12 hours by the Great Republic, which rolled into town at 0949 am to pick up another load of stone.
Southern Lake Michigan Ports – Andrew Meyer
Chicago, IL: A number of vessels on Lake Michigan are headed toward the port of Chicago, with the salties Fivelborg, due to arrive around 6 am tomorrow morning, and Patagonman, which should arrive late morning or early afternoon as well as Rt. Hon. Paul J. Martin, Caroline McKee/St Mary’s Conquest and Spruceglen. The Conquest and Martin will likely arrive between the two salties, while the Spruceglen should arrive later this evening. John D. Leitch is currently in town and should depart sometime late this evening.
Gary, IN: Indiana Harbor arrived to offload at Gary Works late this morning.
Buffington, IN: John J. Boland is in town with a load of stone from Calcite.
Burns Harbor, IN: The pair Defiance/Ashtabula arrived Burns this morning around 0630. The next traffic for Burns should be the Edgar B. Speer on Monday night, and then the Burns Harbor herself, on her regular run from BN5. She is due to arrive on Tuesday morning.
Calcite, MI – Andrew Meyer
Calcite saw a pair of two-fers today- the Arthur M. Anderson and American Mariner switching places in the 0200 hour, the Anderson heading downbound to Detroit. The Dirk S. VanEnkevort departed around noon for the twin ports, being replaced by the Kaye E. Barker.
Spragge, ON – Joshua Hebeisen
Saginaw brought her Port Inland cargo farther north and into Lake Huron’s North Channel, arriving Spragge to unload at 22:36 local time.
Meldrum Bay, ON – Joshua Hebeisen
Michipicoten pulled in to load at 18:00, coming from Detroit.
Stoneport, MI – Joshua Hebeisen
At 07:00, Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder were loaded down and headed south for Detroit.
Goderich, ON – Bruce Douglas
Algoma Compass cleared 01.44 Sunday upbound for Milwaukee with salt. Algoma Innovator arrived 14.57 Sunday loading at Compass Minerals, Innovator’s 14th appearance this season.
St. Clair River – Rod Burdick
On Sunday, August 7, Wilfred Sykes returned up the St. Clair River after unloading and loading in Detroit. Mark W. Barker made her first river transit, loaded for Buffalo.
Detroit, MI – Windsor, ON – Joshua Hebeisen
Passengers aboard, Pearl Mist left her moorings in Windsor and headed downbound at 06:00, due next at Port Colborne for a trip up the Welland Canal. More tourists would arrive less than an hour later when Ocean Voyager tied up at Detroit’s cruise ship dock. Hon. James L. Oberstar, arriving from Marquette, made port at 09:53 and headed for the mouth of the River Rouge. She would pass fellow classic Wilfred Sykes on the way, who had just departed the Rouge herself after loading taconite chips at Dearborn. The Oberstar, too, would head to Dearborn to unload her cargo at Cleveland-Cliffs. Algoma Transport was inbound EES Coke with coal from Thunder Bay around 10:15; Calumet arrived at 11:27 for fuel at Mistersky but shifted south along the dock facing two hours later. The Voyager departed for Cleveland at 18:34, Superior-bound CSL Assiniboine fueled at Sterling from 20:40 to 23:45, and the Oberstar made her way out in the darkness for Stoneport at 21:10. Florence Spirit remains loading coke on the west side of Zug Island; her fleetmate Harvest Spirit is across the river at ADM. Two notable late-evening passages of the Detroit River included the new Mark W. Barker downbound for Buffalo and bruised boat Atlantic Huron headed in the opposite for Superior.
Lake Erie Ports – Bill Kloss
Monroe, MI: New York/Double Skin 509A arrived at 17:57 to unload petroleum products.
Toledo, OH: Prentiss Brown/St. Marys Challenger arrived at 15:30 to unload at Holcim Cement. Clyde S. VanEnkevort/Erie Trader
Marblehead, OH: Sam Laud arrived at 01:52 to load stone. She departed at 16:26.
Sandusky, OH: Cuyahoga departed late Saturday night with coal for Sault Ste. Marie
Cleveland, OH: Walter J. McCarthy, Jr. docked at the Bulk Terminal at 08:12 to unload ore. She departed at 20:05. Other Sunday departures were Algoma Buffalo with salt for Montreal at 01:48 and Calumet empty for Detroit at 02:50.
Erie, PA: The saltie Bruce arrived at 07:29.
Nanticoke, ON: Departures were Baie Comeau for Windsor at 07:01 and CSL Tadoussac for Bowmanville at 13:07.