Port Reports – December 15, 2023

PORT REPORT  12/15/2023

TWO HARBORS, MINNESOTA-Tom Geiger
12/14/2023  Joseph L. Block-DEPARTED-11:43 PM
12/16/2023  Great Republic-ETA-2:30 AM

TWO HARBORS-MINNESOTA-EB
Edgar B. Speer vacated Two Harbors early morning Thursday, Dec 14th with iron ore pellets for Gary. With unfavorable weather conditions further east, the Speer went to anchor off Port Wing, WI for most of the day before weighing anchor and proceeding downbound around sunset Thursday afternoon.

Edwin H Gott arrived and docked at Two Harbors in boisterous southwest winds Thursday morning, December 14th. They were outbound again less than twelve hours later, a good loading time for a thousand footer at CN Dock 2.

In the face of southwesterly gales, Two Harbors -bound Joseph L Block took a weather course Thursday morning, December 14th, hewing close to the shoreline of the U.P. of Michigan west of the Keweenaw and then rather tightly rounding the Apostle Islands as they made their way west. Block anchored for the afternoon in Bark Bay, and was underway again around 6pm en-route to Two Harbors. Block was on approach to Two Harbors around 9:30pm Dec 14th, passing outbound Edwin H Gott.

Two Harbors-bound Presque Isle spent the morning of Thursday, Dec 14th hugging the shore of Michigan’s eastern U.P. before going to anchor in sheltered Keweenaw Bay, joining Stewart J. Cort (for Silver Bay) and Kaye E. Barker (for Duluth-Superior). Presque Isle’s GLF/Key Lakes fleetmate Great Republic, also bound for Two Harbors, was above the Soo Thursday evening, possibly headed to join fleetmate John G Munson at anchor in Whitefish Bay.

SILVER BAY, MINNESOTA-Tom Geiger

12/15/2023  Stewart J. Cort-ETA-2:00 PM

SILVER BAY, MINNESOTA-EB
Silver Bay -bound Stewart J Cort spent Thursday, December 14th at anchor, tucked into Keweenaw Bay near the eastern entrance to the Keweenaw waterway together with Presque Isle and Kaye E Barker. Southwest gales blowing on western and central Lake Superior are forecast to subside sometime Friday morning, which might send Cort on their way to Silver Bay.

DULUTH,MINNESOTA-Tom Geiger
12/15/2023  American Integrity-ETD-12:30 AM
12/15/2023  Arthur M. Anderson-ETA-2:21 AM
12/15/2023  Kaye E. Barker-ETA-5:00 PM
12/16/2023  Indiana Harbor-ETA-12:00 AM
12/16/2023  Federal Kutsura-ETA-7:00 AM
12/16/2023  John G. Munson-ETA-1:00 PM

DULUTH, MINNESOTA-EB
Federal Montreal managed to get underway from Riverland Ag late Wednesday evening, Dec 13th, just before midnight. They departed Duluth just after midnight, becoming (technically) the first ship traffic of the day at Duluth for December 14th. Federal Montreal is loaded with wheat for export overseas.

A parade of arriving ships graced the Duluth Entry on a sunny, unseasonably warm afternoon Thursday, Dec 14th. Several of these ships were finally making port after a somewhat long saga of taking shelter and braving gales and head seas on their way to Duluth-Superior. There were likely some crew glad to finally make port on such a fine afternoon.

Radcliffe R. Latimer started things off, arriving around 1pm with salt from Goderich, ON for Hallett Dock 8.

Arthur M Anderson arrived about half an hour after the Latimer, in ballast to load iron ore pellets at CN 6.

The approaching Anderson made an impressive sight for onlookers on the Duluth shore, spearheading a triangular convergence of ships on the horizon, with Federal Alster following Anderson from the north-northeast after hugging Minnesota’s north shore on the way from Thunder Bay, ON and with American Integrity coming up over the horizon to the east-northeast of Anderson, along the more conventional vessel approach track. Federal Alster was on pace to arrive ahead of American Integrity, but given each ship’s respective destination and maneuvering intentions, it made sense for American Integrity to enter Duluth first. American Integrity kept up a good speed until just before arriving while Federal Alster hung close to the shore along the eastern neighborhoods of Duluth while letting Integrity overtake.

American Integrity swung swiftly into the harbor about 45 minutes after Anderson’s arrival and made for the Midwest Energy Terminal.

Federal Alster came in less than half an hour after Integrity, and was met with tugs Missouri and Kentucky just inside the Duluth Entry. Federal Alster docked at Port Terminal 8 to discharge structural steel loaded at Antwerp, Belgium. This was the final stop on a trip Federal Alster is making as a part of the Fednav fleet’s “FALLINE” (Federal Atlantic Lakes Line) semi-regularly scheduled general cargo service between European ports and the Great Lakes. On this voyage, Federal Alster loaded at Brake, Germany and Antwerp, Belgium in early/mid November and delivered cargo to Hamilton, ON; Detroit, MI; and Thunder Bay, ON before arriving at Duluth. Federal Alster is expected to take 2-4 days to unload, and then is reported to be slated to load grain at Duluth-Superior before heading for sea.

Of note, James R Barker technically left their long-occupied berth around midday the previous day, Wednesday December 13th, vacating Port Terminal berths 8 & 9 and sliding across the slip to Port Terminal berth 2; this allowed Federal Alster access to their intended loading berth at Port Terminal 8 upon arrival today, December 14th.

Polish-owned, Bahamas-flagged Narie (Polish pronunciation goes something like “NAR-yeh”) got their pilot just after 3pm Thursday, Dec 14th and was weighing anchor shortly thereafter. Tugs Missouri and Kentucky, fresh off assisting Federal Alster into berth, returned to the Duluth Entry again to meet Narie as it glided into port into the last of the afternoon light. The tugs had Narie safely tucked into CHS 1 not long into dusk.

As dusk turned to night, Walter J McCarthy Jr arrived Duluth about two hours after Narie. The McCarthy tied up on the east face of CN Dock 6 to wait its turn to load iron ore pellets after Arthur M Anderson at the conveyor ship-loader berth on the other (a.k.a west) side of Dock 6. Dock 6 east ceased to be an active gravity chute loading berth around 20 years ago, and around a decade passed without any ships tying up at “east of 6” ‘s deteriorating dock face. A little less than a decade ago CN shored up the dock face there with an expanded concrete apron and new sheet piling, and removed the potentially hazardous idled gravity chutes. Since then the dock has been used as a lay-by berth for ships waiting to load at CN 6, as well as a lay-by or repair berth for any ship in CN’s Key Lakes-managed Great Lakes Fleet. Arthur M Anderson even spent time in layup there from around 2016 or ’17 through 2019. With Anderson back in service, CN 6 east has since resumed its role as a well-situated and frequently-used lay-by dock.

Kaye E. Barker, expected at the Duluth Entry with limestone from Calcite, MI, spent Thursday, Dec 14th at anchor in Keweenaw Bay, with fleetmate Stewart J Cort and Two Harbors-bound Presque Isle nearby.

SUPERIOR,WISCONSIN-Tom Geiger

12/15/2023  Radcliffe R. Latimer-DEPARTED-12:57 AM
12/15/2023  Algoma Guardian-ETA- 3:00 AM
12/15/2023  CSL Assiniboine-ETA-11:30 AM
12/15/2023  CSL Laurentien-ETA-8:00 PM
12/16/2023  John D. Leitch-ETA-1:00 AM

SUPERIOR,WISCONSIN-EB
BSNF-bound Clyde S. VanEnkevort/Erie Trader was approaching the Superior Entry Thursday afternoon, Dec 14th with word that Mesabi Miner was soon to finish loading ahead of them. With some time to pass but perhaps not enough to warrant going to anchor, Clyde S/Erie Trader let inertia and wind take them on a deftly-executed drift approach. Soon enough Mesabi Miner cleared Superior Entry loaded with iron ore pellets for Burns Harbor, IN. Clyde S/Erie Trader arrived not long after and berthed at BNSF for a load of their own. Meanwhile, with inclement weather still blowing out on central Lake Superior, Mesabi Miner went to anchor outside the Superior Entry after departing. Miner got underway again later in the evening, with a better weather-timed transit ahead of them.

As Miner left Duluth-Superior behind, they passed CSL Assiniboine, finally approaching port after a day’s slowed-down slog through the southwest gale-driven seas northwest of the Keweenaw. Assiniboine was likely to anchor outside Superior, waiting to load iron ore pellets at BNSF after Clyde S/Erie Trader.

As of Thursday evening, the following BNSF/Superior Entry-bound ships were carrying out various weather strategies on eastern Lake Superior: Algoma Guardian was sheltering behind the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula, anchored of Point Isabelle just outside Bete Grise Bay. John D. Leitch was running at around 9 knots, traveling westbound along the shore of the eastern U.P. north of Grand Island, MI. CSL Laurentien and John G Munson were at anchor in the protection of the Michigan shoreline of Whitefish Bay.

MONROE, MICHIGAN-Bill Kloss
Undaunted/Pere Marquette 41 loaded bottom ash at the Port dock and left for Alpena
.
ASHTABULA, OHIO-Bill Kloss
H. Lee White unloaded limestone then departed for Sandusky.

TOLEDO, OHIO-Bill Kloss
Sharon MI/Huron Spirit unloaded steel coils and departed for Cleveland.

MARBLEHEAD, OHIO-Bill Kloss
Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder loaded and left for Cleveland, then Manitowoc weighed anchor and loaded and left for Southwestern Sales Co. in Kingsville, ON. Joyce L. VanEnkevort/Great Lakes Trader was next to arrive at the Holcim dock.

SANDUSKY, OHIO-Bill Kloss
Herbert C. Jackson loaded coal and departed for Detroit.

CLEVELAND, OHIO-Bill Kloss
Algoma Buffalo loaded salt and left for Toronto. Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder unloaded at RiverDock then headed back for a return to Marblehead. Sharon MI/ Huron Spirit was a late night arrival to unload steel coils at the Port. Federal Seto is at the Port and American Courage is still on the shuttles.

NANTICOKE, ONTARIO-Bill Kloss
CSL Niagara left for Hamilton once empty. Algoluna departed with petroleum products for Montreal. Algotitan and Sarah Desgagnes are loading at Imperial Oil.