Port Reports – December 14, 2023

PORT REPORT  12/14/2023

TWO HARBORS, MINNESOTA-Tom Geiger
12/14/2023  Edwin H. Gott-ETA-12:45 PM
12/14/2023  Presque Isle-ETA-10:30 PM
12/15/2023  Joseph L. Block-ETA-2:00 AM

TWO HARBORS-MINNESOTA-EB
After waiting most of the day for weather further east on Lake Superior to improve, Philip R. Clarke cleared Two Harbors late Tuesday evening, Dec 12th with iron ore pellets for Indiana Harbor.

Taking advantage of a lull between rounds of westerly and/or southwesterly gales, Edgar B. Speer left its sheltered anchorage and rounded the Keweenaw Peninsula overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, making haste for Two Harbors. The Speer slid into CN Dock 2’s south side / ship-loader berth Wednesday evening, Dec 13th.

Two Harbors-bound Edwin H Gott seemed to have good timing Wednesday morning Dec 13th, passing upbound through the Soo and Whitefish Bay just as the weather improved enough beyond Whitefish Point to warrant the Gott continuing out onto the lake without stopping to take shelter. Several of the nine other lakers already at anchor along the western shore of Whitefish Bay began to get underway as the Gott passed them and plowed out onto Lake Superior. By Wednesday evening, the Gott was leading a tightly-packed armada of eight ships west-bound around the tip of the Keweenaw. If their speeds were any indication, each of those ships was likely racing to get far enough west on Lake Superior to avoid the brunt of worsening southwest winds trending toward gale force overnight Wednesday into Thursday. Whether each of those ships will end up having to slow, divert to a weather course, or search for a sheltered anchorage somewhere remained to be seen as of Wednesday evening, but the Gott had the speed and lead position to be the most likely to reach far western Lake Superior by Thursday morning. The questions for tomorrow (Thursday) include whether the Speer would be done loading at Two Harbors as the Gott approaches, and whether southwest winds will allow Speer to depart and Gott to arrive.

Joseph L Block, also expected to load at Two Harbors, was also part of the westbound armada of eight ships rounding the Keweenaw Wednesday evening. The Block was near the tail end of the parade, several dozen miles behind the Gott, and traveling a little slower than the Gott, so the Block’s strategy in the face of worsening weather overnight might prove different than the Gott’s. Much likely depends on the geographic extent and timing of strengthening winds overnight.

SILVER BAY, MINNESOTA-Tom Geiger
12/15/2023  Stewart J. Cort-ETA-2:00 PM

SILVER BAY, MINNESOTA-EB
Interlake Steamship Co. swapped loading orders for Mesabi Miner (originally scheduled for Silver Bay) and Stewart J Cort (originally scheduled for BNSF in Superior, WI) during yesterday’s weather-imposed pause on most Lake Superior shipping activity. Mesabi Miner left its sheltered anchorage in Keweenaw Bay overnight (along with its erstwhile neighbor, Edgar B Speer) after recent westerly gales mid-Lake Superior blew themselves out. By Wednesday morning this meant that Mesabi Miner was well ahead of the rest of the recently weather-bound armada of ships rounding Whitefish Point headed for western Lake Superior. By switching orders, the Miner could reach Superior, WI’s BNSF dock ahead of the pack and avoid being caught in a lineup of ships waiting to load at BNSF, which likely would have been Stewart J Cort’s fate if their orders had stayed for BNSF. Instead, Stewart J Cort has a clear shot at Silver Bay, as far as ship traffic goes, anyway. Another round of gales might throw a wrench in Cort’s plans; they cleared Whitefish Point upbound on Wednesday when the west/northwest gales on eastern Lake Superior finally let up, only to find themselves facing the prospect of southwesterly gales on western and central Lake Superior forecast to blow throughout Thursday, December 14th. As of Wednesday evening, Silver Bay-bound Stewart J Cort was on a westerly course south of the usual trackline for rounding the Keweenaw Peninsula, instead appearing to be heading for the shelter of the east side of the Keweenaw. This would give the Cort the option to ride out the next round of gales at a safe anchorage if necessary, which is,by the way, exactly what Mesabi Miner was doing yesterday.

DULUTH,MINNESOTA-Tom Geiger
12/14/2023  Radcliffe R. Latimer-ETA-10:30 AM
12/14/2023  American Integrity-ETA-12:00 PM
12/14/2023  Arthur M. Anderson-ETA-1:00 PM
12/14/2023  Kaye E. Barker-ETA-5:00 PM
12/14/2023  Walter J. McCarthy Jr.-ETA-9:00 PM
12/15/2023  Federal Alstar-Eta-7:00 AM
12/15/2023  John  G. Munson-ETA-1:00 PM

DULUTH, MINNESOTA-EB
Hon. James L. Oberstar departed Duluth in the pre-dawn darkness on Wednesday, December 13th with iron ore pellets from CN 6 for Cleveland, OH.

After waiting patiently on winds during the day Tuesday Dec 12th, Paul R. Tregurtha managed an arrival via the Duluth Entry late Tueday evening, bound for the Midwest Energy Terminal. The Great Lakes’ longest ship departed Duluth again just before noon Wednesday, Dec 13th with coal for power plants near St. Clair, MI and at Monroe, MI.

American Mariner finished unloading limestone at Hallett 5 late Tuesday evening, Dec 12th but remained at CN railroad’s Hallett Dock 5 for much of Wednesday. The Mariner got moving just before sunset Wednesday Dec 13th, shifting from Hallett 5 to the Cenovus/Superior Refining fuel station at Duluth’s Port Terminal berth 3, performing a slick 180-degree pirouette to bring their stern into appropriate lineup with the dockside fueling apparatus. American Mariner was on their way again after just under two hours at the fuel dock, performing another 180 degree pivot and then passing the massive holiday light display at Duluth’s Bayfront Park as they lined up to depart the Duluth Entry. Not to be outdone by the shoreside festivities, American Mariner was sporting a nice array of Christmas lights of their own, with festive lights fringing aft superstructure railings and the ship’s self-unloading boom, and even including some moving/rotating LED-type lights projected onto the vertical face of the ship’s superstructure. The Mariner was a merry presence indeed as it exchanged a hearty salute with Duluth’s Aerial Bridge before gliding out onto Lake Superior in ballast for a load of wheat at Thunder Bay, Ontario.

CHS 1 completed loading operations on Federal Hunter late Wednesday afternoon, and the venerable Fednav bulker was on its way out of the Duluth Entry just after 8pm with wheat for Algeria. Federal Hunter was assisted off the dock by G-tugs Kentucky and Missouri, a busy pair lately with the recent late-season flurry of ocean ships visiting Duluth-Superior.

After exchanging farewell salutes with Federal Hunter, tug Missouri peeled off to stand by astern of Federal Montreal as that ship made preparations to get underway. Preparing an oceangoing ship for departure from a U.S. port with a food-grade cargo for international export involves quite a bit of wrap-up work. At the time of this writing Federal Montreal had yet to move, but indications were that they hoped to be away from the dock and departing the Duluth Entry late Wednesday evening, Dec 13th perhaps between 11pm and midnight.

Polish-owned, Bahamas-flagged Narie (pronounced “NAR-yeh”) spent Wednesday, Dec 13th at anchor off Duluth. In a kind of mirror or reverse image of everything ships like Federal Montreal and Federal Hudson were working to complete after cargo loading operations finished, Narie was visited during the morning by a small local fast boat likely shuttling inspectors, agents, or similar personnl out to the ship for the type of preparatory/administrative visit that is common in the leadup to an overseas ship loading a food-grade cargo for export overseas. All of Narie’s hatches were raised in the wide open position for a few hours in the morning before rolling closed again. The ocean-going freighter was possibly slated to be next in line to load at CHS 1 after Federal Hunter, but there were no apparent signs of impending arrival Wednesday evening after Federal Hunter cleared Duluth. That could hint at a daybreak arrival into Duluth for Narie on Thursday morning, Dec 14th

Five ships expected at the Duluth Entry were part of the parade of lakers that were able to leave the shelter of Whitefish Bay Wednesday morning. As of late Wednesday evening, four of those ships were rounding the Keweenaw Peninsula, attempting to get ahead of developing southwest gales on the western lake. Radcliffe R. Latimer was the farthest along, in second position behind Two Harbors-bound pack leader Edwin H Gott. The Latimer is laden with salt from Goderich, Ontario, to be delivered to Hallett Dock 8. Behind the Latimer was American Integrity, expected at the Duluth Entry for a load of coal from the Midwest Energy Terminal. Slowly closing the gap astern of Integrity was the classic steam turbine-powered Arthur M Anderson, humming along at 12 knots for a load of iron ore pellets at Duluth’s CN Dock 6. Near the tail end of the pack rounding the Keweenaw Wednesday night was Walter J McCarthy, making around 11 knots, also due at CN 6 in Duluth for iron ore pellets.

The fifth ship that cleared Whitefish Bay Wednesday for Duluth, Kaye E. Barker, appeared to be headed for the shelter east of the Keweenaw Peninsula Wednesday evening, traveling in a pair with Silver Bay-bound fleetmate Stewart J Cort. The Kaye E, Barker is loaded with limestone for the Graymont Lime Plant and then a load of coal from Midwest Energy for Lake Michigan.

SUPERIOR,WISCONSIN-Tom Geiger
12/14/2023  CSL Assiniboine-ETA-5:00 PM
12/14/2023  Derie Trader-ETA-5:00 PM
12/15/2023  Algoma Guardian-ETA-3:00 AM
12/15/2023  CSL Laurentien-ETA-8:00 PM

SUPERIOR,WISCONSIN-EB
Burns Harbor slipped out of the Superior Entry early Wednesday morning, December 13th, with iron ore pellets for their namesake port.

Mesabi Miner arrived the Superior Entry around 10:30pm Wednesday evening, Dec 13th, cleverly slipping in and securing a loading berth ahead of the wave of ships likely to arrive Thursday afternoon or Friday. Among those ships are CSL Assiniboine and Clyde S. VanEnkevort/Erie Trader, both part of the parade rounding the Keweenaw Peninsula late Thursday evening. Clyde S. / Erie Trader was in the middle of the pack, having managed between 11.5 and 12 knots throughout the day; where that puts the tug-barge combination in the face of developing southwest gales will be clearer tomorrow. CSL Assiniboine was near the trailing end of the pack, making 11.5 knots. As of Wednesday evening, Superior Entry-bound Algoma Guardian had cleared Whitefish Point upbound, making 10 knots as opposed to their usual 13+.

MONROE, MICHIGAN-Bill Kloss
Once empty at DTE, Indiana Harbor left for Superior, WI.

TOLEDO, OHIO-Bill Kloss
Algoma Transport departed with coal for Hamilton, ON. Algoma Niagara is still at Ironhead Marine.

MARBLEHEAD, OHIO-Bill Kloss
Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder is loading at Holcim while Manitowoc waits at anchor
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SANDUSKY, OHIO-Bill Kloss
Michipicoten loaded coal and departed for Sault Ste. Marie. Herbert C. Jackson came in later to load coal.

CLEVELAND, OHIO-Bill Kloss
Joyce L.VanEnkevort/Great LakesTrader delivered 34,000 tons of UTAC pellets to the Bulk Terminal. After unloading the tug and barge departed for Marblehead. Algoma Buffalo is back at Cargill to load salt. Arriving later in the evening was Federal Seto going to the Port. American Courage is on another shuttle.

GRAND RIVER, OHIO – FAIRPORT, OHIO-Bill Kloss
Manitowoc arrived to unload stone at Osborne. She left for Marblehead once empty

NANTICOKE, ONTARIO-Bill Kloss
Algoluna and Algotitan are loading at Imperial Oil. CSL Niagara is unloading coal at Stelco. Sarah Desgagnes is at the Port Dover anchorage.