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Cover photo credit: Bill Kloss
Editor’s Note: Our daily photo galleries are currently down due to technical issues.
Duluth, MN – Superior, WI – Joshua Hebeisen
The unusual adventures of Edwin H. Gott continued on Thursday morning as the footer – apparently the recipient of partial taconite loads at both the Two Harbors and Duluth CN facilities in the past 24 hours – departed at 00:14 early Thursday morning to head back to Two Harbors yet again. There, she appeared to top off her holds in Agate Bay before setting course for the steel mills at Gary. The reason for the unorthodox shifting between ports is not clear, but some have ventured to guess it may be due to a split load of varying types and/or grades of taconite pellets. The Two Harbors – Duluth – Two Harbors pattern, in this case, could be attributed to ensuring a balanced load of the ore-carrying behemoth. Waiting on pellet shipments to the dock could be another factor in play here. In any case, it has been an interesting week at CN Dock 6 with the John G. Munson seemingly loading in a similar pattern to the Gott, rare customer Algoma Sault undergoing an unusual three-day load at the shiploader, and Algoma Transport departing at 19:40 Thursday evening for a several-hour “cleanup” in the lake in the midst of her load. She was back inbound at 22:06 to resume under the conveyors. BNSF Dock 5 was business as usual, in comparison, with CSL Assiniboine departing Superior at 11:21 with a typical load of ore destined for Quebec. She passed anchored fleetmates Atlantic Huron and Baie Comeau just off the piers; the former soon arrived to load while the latter remains at anchor since 01:15 Thursday morning. The Comeau’s turn will mark the fourth consecutive load of CSL bulkers at the dock. This streak is due to end with the impending arrival of Algoma Intrepid, who arrived the western end of the lake at dinnertime to wait out the remainder of the CSL wave. In Duluth, Spartan/Spartan II were outbound for Ludington at 11:34 after discharging their liquid calcium chloride cargo overnight at EnviroTech-Hallett Dock 8. American Integrity arrived to fuel at 12:16 before shifting to SMET for a load of coal, with rare visitor Algoma Conveyor coming off the lake 20 minutes behind her with salt for Hallett 8. The Conveyor would leave at 23:22 empty for Thunder Bay.
Marquette, MI – Joshua Hebeisen
Hon. James L. Oberstar departed at 15:54 on another Dearborn run, leaving American Spirit loading overnight all by her lonesome at the northern side of the dock.
Port Inland, MI – Andrew Meyer
Lee A. Tregurtha made port on the 23rd around 0830, departing 16 hours later just after the stroke of midnight on the 24th. Defiance and Ashtabula made a regular visit on the 24th at 1413, leaving under cover of darkness on the 25th at 0342. Great Republic is due in town later on the 25th.
Southern Lake Michigan Ports – Andrew Meyer
Chicago, IL: Volgaborg is still in the windy city, but is showing a destination of Hamilton, so it shouldn’t be long before she rolls out. Caroline McKee is on her regular route toward Charlevoix after leaving Calumet Harbor at 1655. The cruise ship Ocean Navigator is due in Chicago around sunrise on the 26th.
Indiana Harbor, IN: Joseph L. Block has been hanging out in Indy since leaving Burns late on the 22nd. Probably shuttle duty has an unload/load going on, but it seems unusually long and there could be repairs happening. Joyce L. VanEnkevort arrived with her BFF, Great Lakes Trader, at 1155 on the 24th. As of this writing, she’s still in town in what has been a longer stay, especially for a ship her size, so she might be waiting for the Block to clear her dock. Undaunted made port with her barge Pere Marquette 41 at 0216, and left eight hours later. No expected arrivals on the 26th for Indy Harbor.
Gary, IN: Edgar B. Speer, after arriving early on the 23rd, left late afternoon, upbound for her weekly fill of ore from the CN dock in Two Harbors. Fleetmate Great Republic arrived at 1257 on the 24th, and would depart only 8 hours later. Gary will continue the GLF parade on the 26th, with the Arthur M. Anderson due around 0900, and the Edwin H. Gott due late evening on the 27th.
Burns Harbor, IN: Federal Kumano finally got the pilot she needed, and made port at 2342 on August 22. The next traffic would be the outbound Joseph L. Block, the sleek laker making her way out of town at 1045 on the 23rd, soon to be replaced by the hound of the lakes, the James R. Barker, at 1410. The Undaunted ended a fairly busy 24 hour span with an arrival at 2238. The 24th would see the Undaunted roll out of town at 0600, followed by the Barker at 1503, ending a 24 hour stay in town. Fellow Fednav vessel Federal Shimanto weighed Chicago anchorage and rolled in late on the 24th, joining the Kumano. Burns Harbor is due once again at her namesake port around breakfast time on the 26th with another load from BN5 in Superior.
Port Dolomite, MI – Joshua Hebeisen
Sam Laud was inbound Carmeuse and ready to load stone for Saginaw at 14:30. She departed for the opposite end of Lake Huron around midnight.
Drummond Island, MI – Andrew Meyer
Dorothy Ann and her barge Pathfinder are due later in the evening of the 25th. A glitch in the matrix puts Magic Nebula and Penelope Oldendorff in town in the near future, but AIS is sadly mistaken.
Bruce Mines, ON – Joshua Hebeisen
Pulling up alongside the dock midmorning was Laura L. VanEnkevort with veteran barge Joseph H. Thompson. Chicago will be the recipient of their load on Saturday after the pair cast off at the unfortunate time of 20:20.
Meldrum Bay, ON – Joshua Hebeisen
Downbound on the St. Marys River, Lower Lakes Towing’s Manitoulin weaved her way through the islands of Potagannissing Bay in a shortcut to North Passage and Lafarge’s quarry at Meldrum Bay. She arrived with hatches off and ready to go at 19:15.
Calcite, MI – Andrew Meyer
After the American Mariner departed on the 23rd at 1511, Calcite had three of the lakes’ sleekest vessels make port consecutively, with Philip R. Clarke at 0712 on the 23rd, Saginaw at 0434 on the 24th, and the Wilfred Sykes at 1033 on the 24th. All three vessels, with the exception of the Saginaw having a slightly longer load interval, cleared port around 12 hours after their arrivals. H. Lee White arrived late on the 24th, but was outbound at 1642 on the 25th, replaced literally moments later (1644) by fleetmate and near sister American Mariner, back for seconds this week. On the horizon, Victory and Maumee are due around lunchtime on the 26th.
Stoneport, MI – Joshua Hebeisen
Interlake’s classy Kaye E. Barker departed at 05:00 for Detroit, leaving the dock little time to prepare for Calumet’s arrival soon after. The river-class vessel left sometime in the early afternoon for the St. Joseph River.
Goderich, ON – Bruce Douglas
Algoma Buffalo cleared 00.53 Thursday upbound for Green Bay WI with salt. Algoma Compass arrived 19.03 Thursday loading at Compass Minerals.
Detroit, MI – Windsor, ON – Joshua Hebeisen
The rising sun over the Motor City would once again greet cruise ship Ocean Voyager and her passengers as they stopped for the day at Detroit/Waye County Port Authority’s public dock. The party was headed south along the Detroit River 12 hours later with a Friday date in Cleveland, the typical next stop in American Queen Voyages’ downbound excursions. Herbert C. Jackson arrived at 07:19 to unload at Dearborn, soon finding herself on a typical route for Interlake classics with a 17:20 departure for coal at Sandusky. The only other traffic in Detroit on Thursday would be an afternoon stop for fuel by ASC’s Indiana Harbor while on her way to Two Harbors. In Windsor, Cuyahoga departed ADM for Toledo at 08:30 while Dirk S. VanEnkevort/Michigan Trader left Lafarge in the opposite direction en route to Marquette around noon.
Lake Erie Ports – Bill Kloss
Monroe, MI: Victory/Maumee arrived with coal for DTE at 03:41. New York/Double Skin 509A is at the Port dock.
Toledo, OH: Departures were Prentiss Brown/St. Marys Challenger for Cleveland and CSL Niagara for Hamilton, ON. Arrivals were Cuyahoga at 13:39 and Evans Spirit at 16:48.
Marblehead, OH: American Courage departed with stone for Cleveland at 11:17.
Sandusky, OH: Victory/Maumee left late Wednesday night for Monroe. Florence Spirit weighed anchor and docked under the loader at 17:48.
Cleveland, OH: Thursday arrivals were Flevoborg at 00:45 for dock 24E at the Port, Mark W. Barker at 01:02 to load salt at Cargill. Prentiss Brown/St. Marys Challenger for the Columbus St. facility at 07:12, McKeil Spirit to unload at Lehigh Cement at 10:02, Clyde S. VanEnkevort/Erie Trader at 12:32 to unload at the Bulk Terminal and American Courage at 16:39 with stone for RiverDock. Departures were Indiana Harbor at 02:27 to Miserskys for fuel, Federal Barents for Thunder Bay, Karen Andrie/Endeavor for Indiana Harbor and Prentiss Brown/St. Marys Challenger for Charlevoix.
Ashtabula, OH: CSL Welland arrived at 10:22 to unload at the Pinney dock. Lee A. Tregurtha arrived at 15:29 and delivered stone from Port Inland, also to the Pinney dock.
Nanticoke, ON: Algoscotia has departed for Sarnia. ON. Algonorth is at Imperial Oil and Algonova is still at anchor.