Port Reports – September 9, 2022

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Editor’s Note: Our daily photo galleries are back! Thank you for your patience.

Duluth, MN – Superior, WI – Joshua Hebeisen
Fresh out of Superior on Wednesday night with a load of ore from BNSF, American Spirit would immediately pivot off her expected course to Burns Harbor and make a 00:20 arrival in Duluth on one screw instead. Tug Kentucky helped the footer make the turn in the inner harbor and tie up for engine repairs at the MERC coal dock. The Spirit, an infrequent coal carrier due to her low cubic capacity, now adds a rare Midwest Energy stop to her list of several rare accolades this season that also includes hauling loads of limestone and pioneering a footer run to Marquette. Even more impressive, the vessel has managed to accomplish these feats in a shortened season after her prolonged winter layup. All 1,004 feet were outbound Duluth at 20:05 for her intended destination with repairs complete. A busy day in the midst of the Spirit’s adventures in port continued on at 01:34 when John J. Boland, fueling at the port terminal overnight to wash down the petroleum coke in her belly, made an exit for Alpena. Baie Comeau left Superior at 08:06 carrying 30,000 tons of Keetac for Nanticoke, allowing anchored fleetmate Atlantic Huron to proceed inbound for an identical load. The latter remains at the dock as of late Thursday night. Flashing primary colors on her hull, saltie Onego Maas would surprisingly make a 09:01 entrance via the Duluth Ship Canal despite the fact that Polsteam’s Gardno was still loading at her intended Gavilon dock in Superior. Maas would eventually go back out to the lake to anchor, per the norm, but not before a rare stop for fuel at the port terminal kept her inside the harbor until midafternoon. Credit tug Helen H. on the assist. In the meantime, Great Republic departed Duluth for Gary shortly before 13:00 with ore from the CN 6 gravity chutes. Loading at the dock throughout the day with the Republic had been Interlake’s newbuild Mark W. Barker, taking on her own load of taconite under the shiploader on a trip that was both her first to the Twin Ports and her first since being formally christened in Cleveland. She had originally arrived with salt before shifting over empty for ore. Her outbound voyage beneath the Aerial Lift Bridge at 16:49 would be followed just 15 minutes later by 2022-built saltie Verila, making a twofer of two of the newest vessels plying the Great Lakes. A rare visit by a Navibulgar vessel had seen the newbuild load grain at Riverland Ag. More standard traffic in the evening included Dirk S. VanEnkevort/Michigan Trader inbound Duluth at 17:39 with stone for Graymont and American Integrity arriving Superior around the same time to take a delay at Enbridge; the latter, however, had spent a good 11 hours at anchor off the Duluth piers. Gardno wrapped up the night with a 23:12 Duluth departure from Gavilon. Next on her itinerary is a stop in Spain. Fleetmate Jamno remains at CHS, also loading grain.

Marquette, MI – Oggdo Bogdo
No traffic today. The Hon. James L. Oberstar will arrive on Friday.

Port Inland, MI – Andrew Meyer
Manitowoc made a really early Wednesday departure, and would be the only traffic until the Kaye Barker arrived Thursday evening.

Southern Lake Michigan Ports – Andrew Meyer
Chicago, IL: Caroline McKee departed Calumet Harbor at 1331 on Thursday for Charlevoix.
Indiana Harbor, IN: The Mighty Wilfred Sykes arrived from neighboring Burns Harbor at 2111, preceded by the departure of James R. Barker an hour earlier. Tugs have dominated the last several days of action in the port. Lee A Tregurtha didn’t share the information via AIS, but she made a visit to the port over the last several days and departed late Thursday afternoon for Stoneport. Due next for the big stuff are Joseph L. Block sometime Thursday night, and Mesabi Miner sometime tomorrow. The Miner is posting a Thursday arrival, but is still in northern Lake Michigan. Algoma Transport is due from Quebec on September 10.
Gary, IN: The Walter J. McCarthy Jr made a departure from Gary works at 0120 on Wednesday morning. She would be the only traffic for Wednesday. Thursday  would see the Philip R. Clarke arrive at 0505. She would depart at 1338, a relatively quick turnaround. Gary later this week should see the Defiance/Ashtabula, Edwin H. Gott, and Great Republic.
Burns Harbor, IN: The Burns Harbor made her departure on Wednesday at 0500 for BN5 in Superior. Following her in there was Wilfred Sykes at 0520. Her subsequent departure would take place at 1853. American Mariner would cap of Wednesday’s traffic with an 1804 arrival. The Rand laker would depart at 1530 on Thursday. The tug Candace Elise, which is occasionally known for pushing barges full of potassium chloride, is due from Ludington on the 9th.

Holland, MI – Bill Van Appledorn
Saginaw arrived shortly after noon Thursday to deliver a split load of aggregate to Verplank’s dock and Brewer’s.

Holland, MI – Oggdo Bogdo
The classic Saginaw arrived at 12:28 with stone from Meldrum Bay, Ontario. After unloading at Brewer’s and perhaps a partial unload at Verplank, the laker and her easily recognizable A-frame departed at 22:12. Due next at Holland is the Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder.

Port Dolomite, MI – Joshua Hebeisen
Calumet arrived at 03:00, loaded, and departed 10 hours later for her birthplace in Lorain.

Calcite, MI – Andrew Meyer
Lee A. Tregurtha departed at 0257 Wednesday, and made good time to Indy Harbor, considering she’s been there and gone as of 2100 Thursday. Arthur M. Anderson would arrive at 1248 Thursday. She’s expected to be followed by American Mariner later on Thursday evening, and John G. Munson later in the week.

Stoneport, MI – Joshua Hebeisen
VanEnkevort Tug & Barge pair Laura L. VanEnkevort/Joseph H. Thompson were outbound at 06:00 for Toledo.

Detroit, MI – Windsor, ON – Joshua Hebeisen
An upbound Michipicoten would stop in Canada around 00:30 Thursday morning for fuel at the Sterling dock. Continuing on her journey to the Soo around 05:00, the classic laker would cede the Windsor shoreline to corporate fleetmate Sam Laud, who unloaded portions of her cargo at both the Southwestern Sales West and East docks before clearing for Sarnia in the afternoon. An overnight trip down the St. Clair River and across Lake St. Clair found Le Dumont d’Urville, the latest cruise ship to visit the lakes, inbound for Detroit around 06:00. Right on schedule, the vessel and her passengers continued on their way to Port Colborne about 12 hours later. Herbert C. Jackson made port at 13:44 for Levy, eventually shifting to the west side of Zug Island before departing for Sandusky at 22:57; New York/Double Skin 509A arrived for Nicholson from Buffalo at 14:37; and Everlast/Norman McLeod left the Motor City for Hamilton after getting sick of the sights at Marathon.

Lake Erie Ports – Bill Kloss
Monroe, MI: Iver Bright arrived at 12:33 with petroleum products. Meredith Ashton is at the Port dock.
Toledo, OH: Cuyahoga left for Marblehead at 09:00.
Marblehead, OH: Sam Laud left Wednesday night with stone. Her destination on AIS shows Cleveland, but she is headed to an undisclosed upper lakes port.
Sandusky, OH: H. Lee White was a late night arrival to load coal at Norfolk Southern.
Cleveland, OH: Samuel deChamplain/Innovation departed for Essexville.  Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder docked at Cargill at 08:27 to load salt. Manitowoc arrived at 16:35. She unloaded at Ontario Stone. Federal Kivalina is at the Port.
Fairport Harbor, OH: Frontenac arrived empty from Nanticoke at 19:22. She is loading at Morton Salt.
Ashtabula, OH: American Courage is anchored in Lake Erie.
Conneaut, OH: Defiance/Ashtabula departed for Gary,  IN at 09:20.John G. Munson weighed anchor and went to the P&C dock at 13:37, unloaded and departed for Calcite at 18:59.
Nanticoke, ON: Frontenac arrived late Wednesday night, unloaded ore at Stelco and then left for Fairport Harbor, OH. Algosea departed at 03:36 with petroleum products for Sept-Iles, PQ. CSL Niagara berthed at Stelco at 01:20. Whitefish Bay was a late evening arrival and anchored off of Port Dover. Algoscotia is at Imperial Oil. 

While we do not currently have daily write-ups for the following ports, their respective port authority websites post schedules of vessel traffic that are embedded below. Each schedule takes the form of a miniature webpage within a box – scroll with your cursor within the box (or slide your finger within the box on a mobile device) to move through the schedule as you would a normal webpage. To move up or down the actual Port Reports page itself, make sure your cursor/finger is outside of the box.

Green Bay, WI – Port of Green Bay
Click on vessel image for voyage info.

Hamilton, ON – Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority
Scroll past AIS map for arrival/departure schedule.