Port Reports – November 29, 2022

Unless where otherwise noted, port and vessel activity from November 28, 2022. Please send future port reports to news@boatnerd.net.

Duluth, MN – Superior, WI – Joshua Hebeisen
Despite an extended hibernation that lasted well into the summer months, a reactivated Stewart J. Cort continues making up for lost time with what is now eight total trips to the Twin Ports this season. A 03:30 Superior arrival for the first of the footers would soon find her taking on ore at BNSF Dock 5. At the same time to the north, Great Republic was also getting settled in beneath some loading conveyors at Duluth’s CN Dock 6. After arriving with stone on Sunday, she is following the typical Great Lakes Fleet pattern of picking up some ore for the trip back down the lakes. Fleetmate Edwin H. Gott was also in town at the port terminal undergoing presumed repairs after loading taconite in Two Harbors. The Gott would giddyup and get out of town for Gary at 09:25.

Another 1,004-footer would occupy the port terminal just 30 minutes later after American Spirit headed inbound Duluth on one engine (and a G-tug assist) for fuel. She is the latest in a line of several vessels to call on Superior Refining Co. over the past few days… prices at the pump must be good. Spirit would eventually shift to Enbridge for a delay midafternoon, due next at BNSF. Heading outbound Duluth at 14:58 and Superior at 16:07 were ore-laden pair Great Republic and Stewart J. Cort, respectively. The two are heading to their standard destinations of Gary and Burns Harbor.

X-(mas) bow(ed) Egbert Wagenborg eventually bid farewell to the Twin Ports with a departure beneath the bridge at 17:06, missing the night’s Bentleyville festivities by just a few minutes. Her cargo of beet pulp pellets is in for a long ride to Londonderry, Northern Ireland and eventual use as animal feed. Another bite-sized saltie, Floragracht, is loading grain at Riverland Ag.

Marquette, MI – Arthur Pickering
A very busy holiday weekend for ship viewing. On Saturday, the Lee Tregurtha made a visit. On Sunday, the Erie Trader, the Wilfred Sykes and the Hon. James Oberstar all made visits to the ore dock in the upper harbor. Currently, the Kaye Barker is enroute to Marquette and should arrive late tomorrow.

Marquette, MI – Oggdo Bogdo
The ships just keep on coming to begin the week, with the Victory/Maumee swapping places with the rare visitor Wilfred Sykes around 08:45, with the latter headed for Indiana Harbor, more typical territory for her. The Victory would be parallel with the Hon. James L. Oberstar for a while before the Interlake regular would depart at 17:32 for Dearborn. The good times will keep rolling with the Kaye E. Barker due on Tuesday, and further ahead with the Laura L. VanEnkevort/Joseph H. Thompson making their first arrival since April of last year.

St. Joseph – Benton Harbor, MI – Michael Moran
This morning, as the Champlain/Innovation and the Massachusetts left the harbor, I and the City Manager met with the Corps of Engineers Detroit and Grand Haven, as well as with King Company. The two of us were mostly observers who also served as advocates and local liaisons to those involved, while King and the Corps did the majority of talking and planning.

The plan is to do whatever can be done for the harbor this fall, and to get it fully open early in the spring to get as many boats in as possible. Not surprisingly, everyone involved pointed to the weather as being the biggest factor in the project. It doesn’t look great this week, but we can hope for a break that allows the equipment to arrive and the work to be completed.

Grand Haven, MI – Oggdo Bogdo
Laura L. VanEnkevort/Joseph H. Thompson stopped by to unload at Meekhof’s at 04:50. This was their first visit of the season, a change of pace from last year which saw numerous trips to Grand Haven. They would depart at 18:43 to head to Marquette of all places, so back-to-back first visits of the season in late November for the tug/barge.

Muskegon, MI – Oggdo Bogdo
The Herbert C. Jackson made an uncommon arrival to Muskegon on Monday, bringing stone from Stoneport to Cobb Verplank at 03:19. She would leave an opportunity for some viewing with her eventual departure at 12:02, headed back to Stoneport.

Manistee, MI – Chris Franckowiak
MANITOWOC arrived Manistee shortly after midnight Monday morning on her usual run to the TES – Filer City station. A few more strings of Christmas lights could be found on her stern, making a colorful pattern in her wake. The ship would depart midmorning.

Goderich, ON – Bruce Douglas
Radcliffe R Latimer cleared 09.17 Monday downbound with salt. Saginaw cleared 13.20 Monday upbound for Calcite. Algoma Innovator arrived 21.22 Sunday loading at Compass Minerals. Algoma Buffalo arrived 09.17 Monday, currently tied up at North Pier to load salt next.

Lake Erie Ports – Bill Kloss
Monroe, MI: Once empty, James R. Barker departed DTE for Duluth, MN and the American Century took her place at the dock to unload coal. The ASC footer left for Superior, WI at 21:32. Undaunted/Pere Marquette 41 returned from Port Colborne, ON at 14:53.
Toledo, OH: Mark W. Barker arrived at 05:42, had a quick unload and departed at 09:08. John J. Boland also had a quick visit, arriving at 08:03 and leaving at 12:20. CSL Niagara arrived at CSX at 20:15.
Kingsville, ON: American Courage weighed anchor and proceeded to Southwestern Sales to unload stone. She departed for Cleveland once empty.
Marblehead, OH: Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder loaded stone for Cleveland, leaving at 06:11.
Sandusky, OH: John J. Boland departed for Toledo at 01:36.
Lorain, OH: H. Lee White docked at Carmeuse at 08:08 to unload 32,000 tons of stone. Carmeuse is the former Jonick dock. She left for Toledo at 19:08.
Cleveland, OH: The classic Alpena arrived at Holcim Cement late Sunday night. Local boatnerds were on hand to capture her brief visit on their memory cards. She departed for Alpena once she emptied out. Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder arrived at 11:17 with stone for RiverDock. The tug and barge went to Cargill once empty. Arriving to get back on the shuttles for Cliffs was American Courage, docking at the Bulk Terminal at 17:23. Finnborg departed for Detroit.
Fairport Harbor, OH: Sam Laud had an 18:27 arrival with stone for Osborne.
Conneaut, OH: John D. Leitch left at 19:02 for Quebec City.
Nanticoke, OH: Algoma Hansa left with petroleum products for Sarnia. Algosea weighed anchor to load 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.