Unless where otherwise noted, port and vessel activity from December 21, 2022. Please send future port reports to news@boatnerd.net.
Duluth, MN – Superior, WI – Joshua Hebeisen
While Wednesday’s winter solstice marked the official beginning of the winter season, it sure feels like it’s been here for the better part of the past two months… In a race to make it across Lake Superior before the incoming “bomb cyclone,” Paul R. Tregurtha departed Duluth at 03:37 with a load of coal for St. Clair and the Saginaw River.
The next traffic through the chilly piers would take place exactly 12 hours later as American Spirit, filled up with a fresh load of taconite from Two Harbors, decided to make her way down to the western end of the lake to fuel up at Superior Refining’s port terminal berth. The footer would later depart at 20:21 and head to the anchorage, likely to wait out the coming blizzard. Down an engine, her reduced speed may not have allowed her to reach the Soo before getting caught up in the brunt of the storm. John D. Leitch departed Superior about 15 minutes later and set course for Hamilton, while James R. Barker cast off from CN Dock 6 to make her way to the fuel dock an hour after that. Interlake fleetmate Stewart J. Cort was inbound the Superior Entry for BNSF at 22:48. Indiana Harbor, eventually due at the dock herself, came off the lake and went to anchor at about the same time.
John J. Boland remains unloading limestone at CN-Hallett Dock 5, American Integrity continues her delay at Enbridge, and Federal Kushiro is taking on the last load of wheat for the season at Riverland Ag.
Two Harbors, MN – Joshua Hebeisen
American Spirit departed the south side of CN 2 at 12:36 with ore destined for Sault Ste. Marie’s Algoma Steel. First on the agenda, however, would be a stop for fuel and subsequent lay-by at the Twin Ports. Next inbound was an ice-mustachioed Edgar B. Speer, coming in off the sea smoke and ready for taconite at 15:07. The jolly old footer was easily mistaken for Santa Claus with her bright red coat and glistening white beard. Great Republic would arrive and go to anchor off the breakwater at about 19:11.
Detroit, MI – Anonymous
The mail boat J.W. Westcott II laid up for the winter on Dec. 20.
Lake Erie Ports – Bill Kloss
Marblehead, OH: Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder departed with stone for Cleveland.
Sandusky, OH: Manitoulin loaded coal and departed for Algoma Steel at the Soo. CSL Niagara moved under the loader once Manitoulin cleared.
Cleveland, OH: Mark W. Barker arrived with 24.000 tons of UTAC pellets to unload at the Bulk Terminal, followed 6 minutes later by the tug and barge Leonard M/Huron Spirit, going to Dock 24W at the Port to unload steel coils. American Courage waited for the Barker to finish unloading, then moved to the Bulk Terminal to load a shuttle for the Cliffs mill on the Cuyahoga River. The Barker moved over to Cargill to load salt. Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder brought in stone for RiverDock.
Ashtabula, OH: Federal Dee is at the Pinney Dock.
Erie, PA: Merwedegracht left for Three Rivers, PQ.
Nanticoke, OH: Presque Isle unloaded and then left for Two Harbors, MN. Algoma Hansa departed with petroleum products for Sarnia, ON. Algonova and Algocanada are at Imperial Oil.
Buffalo, NY – Brian Wroblewski
After almost two full days at the dock, the AMERICAN MARINER was all set and hometown celebrity Captain Dave Miller took her out stern first from the Frontier elevator for the lake around 2PM on the 19th.
Next up was the NACC ARGONAUT on the morning of the 20th. She met the VERMONT at the North Entrance at 7AM and was winded in the Outer Harbor before being towed up to Holcim cement stern first. The crew of the Argo has solved all the mismatched unloading system issues they had with the older cement terminals like they have here in Buffalo and the boat is now the premier cement carrier for Nova-Algoma on the Great Lakes. The ARGONAUT was done unloading by the morning of the 21st and departed with the VERMONT checking her stern at 8:15AM bound for Bath, Ont. They dropped their tug at the foot of Main St. and continued out the North Entrance on their own.
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.
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- After a fuel stop in the Twin Ports, American Spirit heads out to the lake in the midst of a light snowfall. David Schauer image, December 21
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- Edgar B. Speer arrives Two Harbors with a load of… ice? Matthew Pastick image, December 21
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- Samuel de Champlain/Innovation arrive St. Joseph-Benton Harbor with cement after dark. Michael Moran image, December 20
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- Sam Laud outbound on the Saginaw River, breaking skim ice along the way. Todd Shorkey image, December 21
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- Saginaw sails up the St. Clair River at Port Huron on her way to Thunder Bay. Dave Baker image, December 21
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- A Marquette-bound Herbert C. Jackson sails on against the backdrop of the Motor City skyline, as seen from the Windsor side of the Detroit River. Earl Minnis image, December 21