Please send port reports to news@boatnerd.net.
Duluth, MN – Superior, WI – Joshua Hebeisen
Exchanging her limestone load for a taconite one at CN 6, Joseph L. Block got underway from the dock in the early hours of Friday morning before making a 04:29 Duluth departure. The vessel’s next stop will be her home port at Indiana Harbor, where her cargo will likely become feed for the Cleveland-Cliffs Blast Furnace No. 7. Also departing the Twin Ports with ore Friday was CSL Niagara on the Superior side of the harbor. Her 09:07 departure found the Canadian laker bound for Stelco’s Lake Erie Works in Nanticoke with approximately 30,000 tons of Keetac pellets in her holds. Just after 13:00, boatnerds would once again bow to their mighty queen Paul R. Tregurtha as the 1,013.5-foot giant graced the Duluth Ship Canal with her royal presence. A quick one-hour stop at the port terminal was followed by the usual spin maneuver and backing under the Blatnik Bridge for SMET. Baie Comeau wrapped up a quiet fall day of traffic when she arrived Superior for BNSF Dock 5 at 21:22.
Thunder Bay, ON – Joshua Hebeisen
Algoma Discovery officially got her season underway at 16:43 after sleeping through her alarm for several months. The veteran bulker will soon be resuming her usual trading route hauling ore from Superior to Canadian ports on the lower lakes.
Brevort, MI – Joshua Hebeisen
Her boxed cargo holds filled up like a giant sandbox, Mark W. Barker was outbound at approximately 14:30 Buffalo-bound.
Green Bay, WI – Joshua Hebeisen
A somber day in Green Bay marked the end of an era as idled steamer S.T. Crapo – a fixture in the harbor for more than two decades – was towed out from her berth at Holcim bound for the scrappers at Port Colborne. Tug Molly M 1 led the funeral procession up the Fox River with the help of two G-tugs, giving the 1927-built, 95-year-old laker one last look at the place she called home in her retirement. Construction of a new silo at the cement dock spelled the end of the vessel’s useful life as a storage barge.
Sturgeon Bay, WI – Joshua Hebeisen
After spending some last-minute quality time alongside limboed Great Lakes Fleet veterans Roger Blough and Cason J. Callaway, #1 Stewart J. Cort left her berth and tied up with her port side against the dock farther south at Bay Shipbuilding. She is expected to depart the shipyard early next week to get in a few months of service on her trademark Superior-Burns run.
St. Joseph – St. Joseph Benton Harbor, MI – Joshua Hebeisen
Venerable steamer Alpena was inbound the St. Joseph River at 21:24 with a cement cargo for Holcim.
Port Dolomite, MI – Joshua Hebeisen
Ugly ducklings (or swans, whichever you prefer… personally, I’m the latter) Defiance/Ashtabula spent the day in Cedarville loading stone for Fairport from 06:00 to 20:45.
Bruce Mines, ON – Joshua Hebeisen
Manitoulin departed for Windsor and a day sailing down the lake at 04:30.
Thessalon, ON – Joshua Hebeisen
A banner day for Thessalon saw three vessels at the dock on Friday. The first, Cuyahoga, would only spend the early-morning hours in Smelter Bay before departing for Windsor at 03:30. Laura L. VanEnkevort/Joseph H. Thompson were on hand to relieve the veteran laker before departing themselves for Bay City at 16:00. Anchored since noon, American Courage mustered up the strength to make her way inbound to load at 16:30. She was outbound just three hours later to top off her load just south at Meldrum Bay.
Meldrum Bay, ON – Joshua Hebeisen
The Courage tied up at Lafarge after a quick 2.5-hour trip from Thessalon.
Stoneport, MI – Joshua Hebeisen
Dirk S. VanEnkevort/Michigan Trader rumbled out of Stoneport for Windsor around 09:00.
Detroit, MI – Windsor, ON – Joshua Hebeisen
Grand River Navigation’s river-class specialist Manitowoc was inbound at 05:13 for SRM Concrete to unload aggregate from Port Inland, later making her way out before noon for more stone at Calcite. A pair of foreign-flagged visitors were next on the schedule between 07:00 and 08:00 with Federal Oshima arriving for Nicholson under the watchful eye of the old Boblo building and Ocean Explorer cruising in for the port authority dock off downtown Detroit. The latter left with her passengers at 22:42 destined for the former’s previous port, Cleveland. Upbound Arthur M. Anderson steamed in for Mistersky at 08:57 following an uncommon trip to Nanticoke, later departing at 11:39 for Calcite in preparation for another run north. Sea Eagle II/St. Marys Cement II began another trip to Cleveland just after 09:00, and American Mariner stopped to fuel at Mistersky around 21:30 on her way up from Sandusky.
Lake Erie Ports – Bill Kloss
Toledo, OH: Clyde S. VanEnkevort/Erie Trader arrived at 04:09 to unload ore at Ironville.
Marblehead, OH: Calumet departed at 16:46 with stone for Windsor, ON. Herbert C. Jackson arrived at 18:29.
Sandusky, OH: American Mariner loaded coal and left for Algoma Steel in Sault Ste. Marie, ON at 14:51. Lee A. Tregurtha was next in line to load, arriving at 12:34.
Cleveland, OH: Herbert C. Jackson arrived at 07:30, unloaded sand and departed for Marblehead at 14:08. Solina arrived late Thursday night with steel coils and skids to be offloaded at the Port. After a quick unload, the saltie left for Burns Harbor, IN at 16:23. NACC Argonaut arrived at 09:36 and unloaded at Holcim Cement. Petite Forte/St. Marys Cement departed for Bowmanville, ON at 18:20. Sea Eagle II/St. Marys Cement II arrived at 17:26
Nanticoke, ON: Algoma Hansa departed late Thursday night for Tracy, PQ.Rt. Hon. Paul J. Martin unloaded at Stelco and departed for Stoneport at 09:55. Algonorth berthed at Imperial Oil at 04:44 and fleetmate Algoterra at 17:29. Algoma Intrepid
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.
-
- The new paint job on her stack looking sharp, Joseph L. Block sits at CN Dock 6 as an SD40 engine pushes ore cars overhead. David Schauer image, September 22
-
- Edgar B. Speer loads under overcast skies in Two Harbors. Rich Pedersen image, September 23
-
- Back at it again, Algoma Discovery prepares to leave her winter layup berth. Matthew Carlson image, September 23
-
- The Soo Harbor is hopping on a beautiful fall morning, as seen from the deck of museum ship Valley Camp. David Kaye image, September 23
-
- The sun rises on S.T. Crapo’s last day in Titletown. Chuck Zentmeyer image, September 23
-
- Molly tows Crapo beneath Walnut St. Bridge and past the downtown area for a final time. Chuck Zentmeyer image, September 23
-
- A hidden G-tug pouring it on gives the illusion of the Crapo steaming up once again. Korey Garceau image, September 23
-
- The Cort takes in one last sunset with friends Blough and Callaway before shifting farther south to prep for a return to service. Mark Evenson image, September 22
-
- Saginaw heads outbound Calumet Harbor for the lake. Stephen Sostaric image, September 23