Port and vessel activity from March 20, 2023, unless stated otherwise. Please send future port reports to news@boatnerd.net.
St. Marys River – Joshua Hebeisen
USCGCs Mackinaw and Biscayne Bay parted ways at Lime Island early Monday morning, with the former headed upbound for the Soo and the latter setting course to the south for a trip to St. Ignace, MI. On her way, Mackinaw would briefly soften up the ice below Rock Cut before taking the upbound passage to Sault Ste. Marie, MI. A spot at the U.S. Coast Guard dock had been freed up earlier in the day by the departure of USCGC Morro Bay, who headed downstream to hold down the fort at Lime overnight.
St. Ignace, MI – Joshua Hebeisen
USCGC Biscayne Bay arrived at 12:36 for U.S. Coast Guard Station St. Ignace.
Green Bay, WI – Joshua Hebeisen
The Port of Green Bay welcomed in its second arrival of the young season at 16:50 Monday evening. Samuel de Champlain/Innovation, fresh from South Chicago, IL’s Calumet Harbor with a load of cement, entered the river and proceeded to Holcim with the help of USCGC Neah Bay. Neah, for her part, had left Sturgeon Bay, WI, in the morning in preparation for the assist.
Sturgeon Bay, WI – Bob
It appears the Joe Block is in ballast, exhaust is coming from the Sykes stack also exhaust is coming from the Indiana Harbor’s port stack. The barge Erie Trader is getting a new hull color going from black to brown.
Milwaukee, WI – Connor Siemens
Prentiss Brown/St. Marys Challenger have cleared dock and departed Milwaukee.
Calumet Harbor, IL – Joshua Hebeisen
After departing Milwaukee, WI, to begin their season around midday Sunday, G.L. Ostrander/Integrity made port at Calumet Harbor just hours later and headed down the river to load at Holcim. The pair would depart at 18:55 Monday evening for a trip across Lake Michigan to Muskegon, MI.
Cheboygan, MI – Joshua Hebeisen
Her brief tour of upper Lake Michigan complete, tanker Algocanada departed at 10:43 for the familiar confines of Sarnia, ON.
Midland, ON – Joshua Hebeisen
CCGS Samuel Risley — perhaps tired of waiting for Frontenac to unload her cargo of grain at ADM — departed the area at 13:00 Sunday for the St. Marys River. The cutter had recently made a few more passes in the harbor to soften up the ice, so it will be interesting to see if her assistance is required when our old friend Fronty finally pulls away from the dock.
Port Huron, MI – Sarnia, ON – Joshua Hebeisen
Lonely Iver Bright finally got some company at Suncor (albeit briefly) when asphalt buddies Leo A. McArthur/John J. Carrick pulled up to the dock to load for Montreal, QC. The tug/barge combo would eventually clear at 15:56 but stopped at Corunna, ON’s Shell fueling dock on their way down the river.
Making another brief Sarnia stop on Monday was downbound Algonova, arriving at 09:59 for the specialty products dock before casting off at 13:14 to resume her trip to Nanticoke, ON. Algosea watched the action nearby from her berth at the lower dock.
Detroit, MI – Windsor, ON – Joshua Hebeisen
A “spirited” day on the Detroit River began with a midmorning crossing by McKeil Marine’s Florence Spirit. Departing her lay-up berth at Morterm, the versatile vessel ventured up the River Rouge to load petroleum coke and officially get her season underway. Harvest Spirit was inbound Windsor at midnight from Cleveland, OH, coincidentally tying up just next to where her fleetmate was at Morterm to begin the day.
Lake Erie Ports – Bill Kloss
Monroe, MI: New York/Double Skin 509A is unloading at the Port dock.
Cleveland, OH: Harvest Spirit unloaded steel coils at the Port dock and departed, possibly for Sault Ste. Marie. Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder is still running the shuttles for Cliffs.
Erie, PA: Kaye E. Barker departed layup for Sandusky, OH.
Nanticoke, ON: Algoterra arrived to load at Imperial Oil. Algonova is due on the 21st.
While we do not currently have daily summaries for the following ports, their respective port authority websites post schedules of vessel traffic that are featured below. Each schedule is a miniature webpage within a box. Scroll with your cursor in 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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- Samuel de Champlain/Innovation arrive Green Bay, WI, on the first day of spring. Nathan Crabb image, March 20
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- Stewart J. Cort enjoys her last few days of lay-up in Milwaukee, WI. Jeremy Whitman image, March 20
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- The footer presents an imposing figure over a pair of G-tugs. Jeremy Whitman image, March 20
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- The sun may be calling it a day, but Kaye E. Barker is just getting underway for her first trip of the season on Lake Erie! Interlake Steamship Company image, March 20