Port Reports – December 7, 2023

PORT REPORT  12/7/2023

TWO HARBORS, MINNESOTA-Tom Geiger
12/8/2023  Great Republic-ETA-8:30 AM
TWO HARBORS, MINNESOTA-Gary Putney
The James R Barker is destined for Two Harbors to load taconite.
The Edwin H Gott loaded taconite in Two Harbors and departed for Nanticoke.
The Edgar B Speer loaded taconite in Two Harbors and departed for Gary.

TWO HARBORS,MINNESOTA-EB
Walter J McCarthy Jr cleared Two Harbors in the pre-dawn hours of Wednesday, Dec 6th with iron ore pellets for Conneaut, having spent just over 12 hours at the dock, a fairly fast load for a footer at a CN dock these days.
Two Harbors’ hot streak continued with Edgar B Speer, which had anchored just  outside the breakwall an hour after midnight on the 6th. After the McCarthy cleared and a few more hours passed to allow the dock to be re-charged with iron ore pellets, the Speer came into berth and began loading at dawn. Loading operations were complete just over eight hours later, a time that seemed more a-pace with the “fast” footer loading days of the 1980s and ’90s. The Speer was on their way out of Two Harbors at 3:30 in the afternoon bound for Gary, IN. Not long afterward, Edwin H Gott became the day’s third thousand foot ship to berth at the busy dock, tying up just after sunset.
SILVER BAY, MINNESOTA-Gary Putney
The American Integrity is currently loading taconite in Silver Bay.

SILVER BAY, MINNESOTA-EB
Up the north shore at Silver Bay, MN, American Integrity arrived late in the morning, and as of late evening on Dec 6th was still in the midst of loading operations, their self-unloading boom still swung wide out over Silver Bay’s harbor.

DULUTH-Tom Geiger
12/7/2023  Maumee-ETA-1:45 PM
12/7/2023  Indiana Harbor-ETA-5:00 PM
12/7/2023  Drawsko-ETA-11:00 PM

DULUTH, MINNESOTA-EB
The impressive loading pace at CN’s Two Harbors dock was mirrored at CN’s Duluth operation when Mesabi Miner departed Duluth an hour after midnight early on December 6th, after just a 13-hour loading process. That’s a notable achievement; these days thousand footers often spend well over 24 hours at that dock before enough rounds of loading are carried out to put them down to their marks. The Miner is headed for Cleveland, OH.
Algoma Innovator was next, departing Duluth in ballast for Thunder Bay, ON still in pre-dawn darkness around three hours after the Mesabi Miner cleared. Innovator had delivered salt from Goderich, ON to the Compass Minerals dock in Duluth.

SUPERIOR, WISCONSIN-Tom Geiger
12/7/2023  Algoma Discovery-ETA-6:00 PM
12/7/2023  Michipicoten-ETA-8:00 PM

SUPERIOR, WISCONSIN-EB
Stewart J Cort departed the Superior Entry midday December 6th for their typical destination of Burns Harbor, IN. The Cort had spent around 24 hours loading at the BNSF railroad’s custom-built iron ore pellet loading facility just inside the harbor from the Superior Entry. In warmer weather and with everything running smoothly BNSF can load the Cort in a quarter of that time. Talk on the Twin Ports waterfront has long indicated that below-freezing temperatures can affect some aspect of the operation of the long conveyor belt system that feeds iron ore pellets from BNSF’s stockpile yard to its loading dock, or the stockpile yard itself, slowing loading operations. Indeed there seems to be an annual phenomenon where sometime in late fall / early winter, ships start experiencing longer load times at normally speedy BNSF.

Presque Isle arrived via the Superior Entry about an hour after Stewart J Cort departed, taking their place at the same BNSF dock.

At almost the same time as Presque Isle arrived Superior, Joseph L Block arrived the Duluth Entry in ballast to load iron ore pellets at CN 6. A significant round of loading commenced as soon as the Block tied up. By late evening their AIS system was updated, showing a destination of Indiana Harbor, IN, though the ship still appeared to be waiting on one more round of stockpile reclaiming to top them off and send them on their way.

The next round of upbound traffic appears on track to start showing up on western Lake Superior on the afternoon and evening of Dec 7th. Victory / Maumee is on their way to Superior, WI’s Graymont lime plant via the Duluth Entry with limestone from Calcite, MI. Indiana Harbor is due at the Duluth Entry for the Superior Midwest Energy Terminal (SMET) for a load of coal. While upbound in Whitefish Bay on the afternoon of Dec 6th, Algoma Discovery and Michipicoten appeared to be in a tight race, both ships bound for the Superior Entry and vying for first dibs at a loading spot at BNSF. After rounding Whitefish Point however both ships slowed, perhaps running into some weather on the open lake, and erstwhile deep-sea freighter Algoma Discovery started opening up a lead.

ASHTABULA, OHIO-Bill Kloss
Thea G departed for Hamilton, ON.
TOLEDO, OHIO-Bill Kloss
Karen Andrie/Endeavor departed for Calumet Harbor. CSL Niagara arrived to load coal at CSX. Still in port are Albert/Margaret,  Arthur M. Anderson and Algoma Niagara
MARBLEHEAD, OHIO-Bill Kloss
Clyde S. VanEnkevort/Erie Trader loaded stone and left for Fairport Harbor
SANDUSKY, OHIO-Bill Kloss
Manitoulin is loading coal at Norfolk Southern
CLEVELAND,OHIO-Bill Kloss
Arriving were Polsteam’s Wicko to Dock 24E at the Port. Algoma Buffalo to Cargill to load road salt.  Wilfred Sykes is on the second of 2 shuttles. Petite Forte/St. Marys Cement is unloading at SMC Jefferson St. Sharon MI/Huron Spirit left for Detroit.
GRAND RIVER, OHIO – FAIRPORT, OHIO-Bill Kloss
Frontenac departed with salt for Bowmanville, then fleetmate CSL Tadoussac weighed anchor and sailed to Morton Salt once Frontenac cleared
NANTICOKE, ONTARIO-Bill Kloss
Departing from Imperial Oil were Harbour Feature to New York City and Everlast/Norman MacLeod to Tracy, PQ.  Algoluna and Algoterra raised the hooks and took their place at Imperial Oil to load petroleum products. Algoberta and Qikiqtaaluk W are still anchored off of Port Dover.