Port Reports – December 6, 2023

Port and vessel activity from Thursday, December 5, 2023, unless stated otherwise. Please send future port reports and pictures to news@boatnerd.net

PORT REPORT  12/6/2023

TWO HARBORS, MINNESOTA-Tom Geiger
12/6/2023  Edgar B. Speer-ETA-1:30 AM
12/6/2023  American Integrity-ETA-12:00 PM
12/6/2023  Edwin H. Gott-ETA-2:30 PM
12/7/2023  Michipicoten-ETA-10:00 PM
Two Harbors, MN & Silver Bay, MN:-E.B.
Michipicoten cleared CN Dock 2’s shiploader berth mid-morning Tuesday, Dec 5th with their typical load of iron ore pellets for the steel mill at the Canadian Soo.
Walter J McCarthy Jr docked at that same shiploader berth mid-afternoon Dec 5th, with an earliest possible departure of early morning, Dec 6th.

As of Tuesday evening, Dec 5th Edgar B Speer was approaching Two Harbors, having slowed their cross-Lake Superior cruising speed somewhat, and was on track to be near Two Harbors just after midnight on the early morning of Dec 6th; the Speer may have to go to anchor or mill around in the lake for a while longer to wait for the McCarthy to finish loading and clear. CN no. 2’s “shuttle conveyor” berth on the south side of said dock is the only place for the deeper-hulled thousand footers (50′ or 56′) to load at that port. Shallower-hulled Presque Isle (46′) can load at the gravity chutes lining the north side of Dock 2, but that berth has been used scarcely if at all this season.
Edwin H Gott was upstream of the Soo and on track to arrive off Two Harbors afternoon Dec 6th, depending on how the McCarthy and Speer’s loads proceed, the Gott may find themselves waiting to load after the Speer when they arrive in the vicinity.
American Integrity was upstream of the Soo and on track to arrive Cleveland-Cliffs’ Northshore Mining facility at Silver Bay, MN on the morning of Dec 6th to load iron ore pellets.
DULUTH-Tom Geiger
12/5/2023  Paul R. Tregurtha- Departed-7:18 PM
12/6/2023  Joseph L. Block-ETA-12.29 PM
12/7/2023  Indiana Harbor-ETA-4:00 PM
12/7/2023  Drawsko-ETA-11:00 PM
SUPERIOR-Tom Geiger
12/6/2023  Stewart J. Cort-DEPARTED-11:33 PM
12/6/2023  Presque Isle-ETA-12:29 PM
12/6/2023  Algoma Discovery-ETA-12:30 PM
Duluth-Superior, MI/WI:-E.B.
Paul R Tregurtha departed Duluth just after 7 in the evening on Tuesday, Dec 5th with the typical split load of coal for the DTE power plants at St Clair and Monroe, MI.

After the Tregurtha’s departure, this was the lineup of ships in port around Duluth-Superior:
Mesabi Miner was docked at CN Dock 6 in Duluth, waiting patiently for iron ore pellet loading operations to resume, having berthed about an hour before noon earlier the same day. It appears one round of loading took place during the early to mid afternoon. Now the facility’s stockpile yard equipment has been working to reclaim another round of loading’s worth of iron ore pellets to convey to the dock and into the Miner to send them on their way. Departure didn’t seem likely until sometime Wednesday morning, Dec 6th.

Algoma Innovator, floodlights ablaze and stealing the show a bit from nearby holiday light displays, was at Compass Minerals near the Bayfront district in Duluth. They had already discharged most of their cargo of salt from Goderich, ON onto various dockside stockpiles or into the roof of the facility’s storage & processing building. The ship’s unloading boom was still swung over the dock and a shore-based crane appeared to be working alongside, likely raising and lowering a bulldozer or similar equipment in and out of various cargo holds to break loose the stubborn remainder of their salt cargo and get it flowing onto the ship’s network of self-unloading conveyor belts. Depending on how the process goes, Algoma Innovator may leave port during the overnight hours Dec 5th-6th. Innovator’s AIS indicates their next destination will be Thunder Bay. It’s common these days for Algoma self-unloaders to clear Duluth-Superior empty after delivering salt, bound from the U.S. Lakehead for the Canadian Lakehead.

James R Barker continues its stay at Duluth’s Port Terminal for mechanical work, occupying Berths 8 &9.

The first two of the thousand foot lake ships (and in hindsight the two least “conventional” thousand footers) were both in the vicinity of the Superior Entry on Tuesday. Stewart J Cort was loading iron ore pellets at BNSF, having been there since late morning Dec 5th, with Presque Isle at anchor outside the Superior Entry since midday on the 5th waiting for the Cort to clear. The Cort may leave during the overnight hours, with Presque Isle likely to take their place right away.
Joseph L Block is upstream of the Soo and ontrack to arrive Duluth around noon, slated to load iron ore pellets at CN 6.
Indiana Harbor and Algoma Discovery are expected at the Duluth and Superior Entries, respectively, on December 7th.
ASHTABULA, OHIO-Bill Kloss
Thea G is at the Pinney Dock
MANITOWOC,WISCONSIN-Tom Geiger
12/7/2023  Saginaw-ETA-8:00PM
TOLEDO, OHIO-Bill Kloss
Arthur M. Anderson is at Hans Hansen and Algoma Niagara is still at Ironhead Marine, both undergoing repairs. Arrivals were Kaye E. Barker, Albert/Margaret, Karen Andrie/Endeavor and Sharon MI/Huron Spirit. Departures were Evans Spirit to Windsor, Kaye E. Barker to Calcite and Sharon MI/Huron Spirit to Cleveland.
MARBLEHEAD, OHIO-Bill Kloss
Sam Laud departed with stone for Marysville,  then Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder departed for a third trip to Cleveland, then Clyde S.VanEnkevort/Erie Trader weighed anchor and moved to the Holcim dock to load.
SANDUSKY, OHIO-Bill Kloss
CSL Niagara left with coal for Nanticoke.
CLEVELAND, OHIO-Bill Kloss
Wilfred Sykes unloaded at Cliffs and will be running 2 shuttles from the Bulk Terminal.  Arriving were Petite Forte/St. Marys Cement to the St. Marys Jefferson St. facility, Manitowoc to unload at Ontario Stone and Sharon MI/Huron Spirit with steel coils for the Port. Manitowoc later departed for Calcite.
GRAND RIVER, OHIO – FAIRPORT, OHIO-Bill Kloss
Clyde S. VanEnkevort/Erie Trader to Marblehead. Frontenac is loading at Morton Salt and fleetmate CSL Tadoussac is anchored in Lake Erie.
CONNEAUT, OHIO-Bill Kloss
CSL Assiniboine departed for Clarkson, ON.
NANTICOKE, ONTARIO-Bill Kloss
CSL Tadoussac unloaded at Stelco then left for Grand River, OH. Harbour Feature and  Everlast/Norman MacLeod are still at Imperial Oil while Algoberta, Algoluna and Qikiqtaaluk W remain anchored and were joined by Algoterra.
GODERICH, ONTARIO-Bruce Douglas
12/4/2023  Northern Venture cleared early hours Monday upbound for Alpena with salt.
12/4/2023  Algoma Compass arrived 06:59 Monday and loading at Compass Minerals

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Green Bay, WI – Port of Green Bay
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Hamilton, ON – Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority
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