Saginaw River Vessel Passages - June 2019 For the month of June 2019, there were 23 commercial vessel passages on the Saginaw River. This represents three fewer vessel passages than during June 2018. As compared to the 5-year and 10-year statistical averages, the number of passages was up with the 5-year average being 21 vessels and then 10-year average at 20 vessels. Looking at the total number of commercial vessel passages for the year-to-date through the end of June 2019, there were a total of 47. This is three more passages than during the same time period in 2018. This also represents an increase of six passages more than both the 5-year and 10-year statistical averages recorded at 41 for each.
June 14, 2019 Alpena arrived at the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville, early Thursday morning. She finished her unload, but now waited at the dock for extreme Saginaw River currents to subside. The river was at flood stage and the strong currents are from recent heavy rains and runoff. Algoma Innovator has been anchored out in the Saginaw Bay for two days, waiting to deliver her cargo to the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates dock.
Saginaw River Passages - May 2019 So far in 2019, traffic has been steady on the Saginaw River, and above both the 5-year and 10-year averages. For the month of May, there were 16 commercial vessel passages on the Saginaw River. This is an increase from the 14 recorded during May last year. Looking at the historical data, the 16 passages recorded this May were above both the 5-year average of 15 and the 10-year average of 14 vessel passages. For the total commercial vessel passages for the year-to-date, there have been 24 so far in 2019. This is six more than were recorded for the same time period in 2018. It is also above the 5-year average of 21 and 10-year average of 22 commercial vessel passages
May 24, 2019 There were numerous vessel passages on the Saginaw River the past few days. On May 23rd, Manitoulin was inbound, traveling to the upper river to unload at the ACE-Saginaw Paving/Buena Vista Dock. On the 24th, American Courage called on the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates dock to unload. This was her second visit to the dock this week. Olive L. Moore - Menominee was also inbound with a split cargo. The pair dropped a partial cargo at the ACE-Saginaw Paving/Buena Vista dock and then finished at the U.S. Paving and Stone Materials Dock in Carrollton. The third vessel of the day on the 24th was the G.L. Ostrander - Integrity, calling on the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville, to unload.
May 22, 2019 On May 18th, the Olive L. Moore - Menominee arrived on the Saginaw River with a split cargo for the Wirt Stone Docks in Bay City and Saginaw. Also in on the 18th was the Sharon M I - Huron Spirit, unloading at the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City. On May 19th, Dorothy Ann - Pathfinder arrived with a split cargo for the Wirt Stone Docks in Bay City and Saginaw. American Courage visited the Saginaw River on May 21st, her first since August 16, 2015, when she unloaded at the Bay City and Saginaw Wirt Stone Docks. For this visit, American Courage unloaded at the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates Dock. Finally, Walter J. McCarthy, Jr. called on the Consumers Energy/Karn Weadock Dock in Essexville on the 22nd to unload coal.
May 17, 2019 The Saginaw River has had a few visitors the past few days. Olive L. Moore - Menominee arrived on the 15th, traveling to the upper river, stopping at the Burroughs Dock in Zilwaukee and the Lafarge Stone Dock in Saginaw. On the 17th, Alpena was inbound, calling on the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville, bringing the first cement cargo of the season to that dock. Later in the day, Dorothy Ann-Pathfinder were inbound with a split cargo, unloading at the Wirt Stone Docks in Bay City and Saginaw. Dorothy Ann-Pathfinder became the first repeat visitors to the Saginaw River this season.
May 10, 2019 Herbert C. Jackson arrived on the Saginaw River, early Friday morning, to unload at the Wirt Sand and Stone Dock in Essexville. The Jackson completed her unload by late morning and departed for the lake. By mid-afternoon, the John J. Boland was inbound on the Saginaw River, calling on the Port Fisher slip to unload at Bay Aggregates. The Boland was outbound by late Friday night.
May 1, 2019 Wednesday morning saw the tug Zeus, and tank barge Robert F. Deegan, arriving at the Port Fisher/Dow Dock to unload. The pair departed the dock just after 7am on Thursday, with Zeus on the hip. Once out in the open waters of the Saginaw Bay, Zeus will take the Robert F. Deegan into tow.
Saginaw River Vessel Passages for April 2019 There were a total of eight commercial vessel passages on the Saginaw River during the month of April. This is five more than last season and three more than the five year average of five commercial deliveries for April. For the vessel passages for the year to date, there have also been eight, the same number as last season. Looking at the five year average of 6 passages for the year to date at the end of April, we are two passages ahead of that number.
April 30, 2019 H. Lee White called on the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City, unloading there during the early morning hours of Monday. Manitowoc arrived at the same dock to unload, just after midnight on Tuesday. She was followed a short time later by American Century, who called on the Consumers Energy dock in Essexville. Both Manitowoc and American Century were outbound late Tuesday morning after unloading.
April 26, 2019 Sam Laud arrived on the Saginaw River, early Friday afternoon, calling on the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City to unload.
April 23, 2019 Dorothy Ann-Pathfinder arrived on the Saginaw River early Monday evening, calling on the Wirt Sand and Stone dock in Essexville. The pair finished unloading overnight and departed the dock Tuesday morning, backing out of the river and out into the Saginaw Bay, before turning at Light 12.
April 21, 2019 Algoma Innovator arrived on Saturday afternoon, anchoring out in Saginaw Bay, just outside Lights 1 & 2, waiting for more favorable conditions to enter the river. She started in and tied up at the North Star Dock in Essexville just after midnight Sunday morning. After unloading, Algoma Innovator came off the dock and turned in the Essexville turning basin and headed outbound for the lake by 9:30 Sunday morning.
April 17, 2019 Mississagi was inbound on the Saginaw River this morning, becoming the first vessel of the season to pass through the four drawbridges in Bay City and head to the upper river to unload. She called on the Sargent Dock in Zilwaukee, just below the Zilwaukee/I-75 Bridge.
April 8, 2019 The 2019 Commercial Shipping Season began on the Saginaw River this morning with the arrival of the 1000 foot long, self-unloading vessel, American Integrity. She called on the Consumers Energy Dock in Essexville to unload coal around 10:00am. The arrival of American Integrity starts the season 10 days later than last year and marks the first time since 2009, when Manitowoc was the first vessel of that season, that a non tug/barge combo opened the season.
Saginaw River - December 2018 For the month of December 2018, there were a total of six commercial vessel passages on the Saginaw River. This is a decrease of one passage from the same time period last season. It also falls in line with the 5-year average for December, also at six vessel passages and the 10-year average, which is seven. For the total number of vessel passages as of December 31st, there were 142. This is the highest number of passages at the end of the year since the 2010 season when there were 145. Year to date, December 2018, was up from last year by 9 passages. It was also up from the 5-year average of 126 commercial vessel passages and the 10-year average of 135 passages.
December 12, 2018 The John J. Boland arrived on the Saginaw River, early Tuesday morning, unloading at the Burroughs North Dock in Essexville.
December 7, 2018 As the year, and the 2018 commercial shipping season are rapidly coming to an end, Traffic on the Saginaw River continues to be on the positive side. For the month of November, there were a total of 16 commercial vessel passages, up from the 14 logged for November 2017. This also represents increases over the 5-year average of 13 passages and the 10-year average of 15 commercial vessel passages. For the year to date, there have been 136 commercial vessel passages on the Saginaw River. This number is ten more than were logged during the same period last year. Looking at the 5 and 10 year averages, 2018 is also running ahead of both, with the 5-year average being 120 and the 10-year average 128 vessel passages. We are already guaranteed to finish ahead of the total for the entire 2017 season, as traffic on the Saginaw River has already surpassed that number with the November 24th arrival of the Calumet.
December 1, 2018 Algoma Buffalo was inbound on the Saginaw River this morning, headed up to Zilwaukee to unload. This is her first visit sailing for Algoma Central Marine, under the Canadian Flag. The last time this vessel was on the Saginaw River was May 17, 2015, when she was sailing for the American Steamship Company, under the U.S. Flag.
Saginaw River Vessel Passages - October 2018 There were a total of 17 commercial vessel passages on the Saginaw River during the month of October, 2018. This number represents an increase of two passages over the same time period in 2017, an increase of one over the 5-year average of 16, and an increase of one over the 10-year average, also of 16. For the shipping season for the year to date, there have been 120 commercial vessel passages on the Saginaw River. This represents an increase of eight passages over the same period in 2017, an increase of 14 passages compared to the 5-year average of 106, and an increase of seven passages over the 10-year average of 113 commercial vessel passages.
Saginaw River Passages for September 2018 Commercial vessel passages on the Saginaw River totaled 18 for the month of September. This is a slight decrease from the same month last year, when there were 20. This was right on par with the 5-year average of 18 passages however. For the year to date, there have been 103 commercial vessel passages. This is the highest number at this point of the season since 2009, when there were 119 passages by the end of September. Last season, there were 97 passages at the end of September. For the 5-year, September 2018 was 13 passages above the average of 90.
Saginaw River Passages for August 2018 On the Saginaw River, for the month of August, there were 21 commercial vessel passages. This was an increase of two passages over August of 2017 and three more than the 5-year average of 18 passages. For the year-to-date, there have been 85 commercial vessel passages. Also an increase over 2017 by eight vessel passages and twelve passages more than the 5-year average. So far in 2018, the shipping season is turning out to be the best in years, as far as the vessel passage numbers are concerned. You have to go back to 2013 to have an August with at least 21 passages and back to 2012 to find year-to-date numbers of at least 85.
August 10, 2018 Algoma Innovator called on the Saginaw River to unload at the Port Fisher/ Bay Aggregates Dock in Bay City. She unloaded slag from the Soo, Ont.
Saginaw River Report - July 2018 During the month of July on the Saginaw River, there were a total of 20 commercial vessel passages. This is a decrease of five from July of last year, when there were 25 vessel passages. It is however in increase over the 5-year average of 18 vessel passages for the month. For the total commercial vessel passages for the year to date, there have been 64 on the Saginaw River as of the end of July. This represents an increase over the 2017 numbers by six passages. Compared to the 5-year average, the 64 total passages for the year to date are also above the average of 55.
July 6, 2018 Friday was a busy day on the Saginaw River, with four commercial vessel cargoes delivered to five different docks. The Olive L. Moore - Menominee arrived during the morning, unloading cargo at the Burroughs North Dock in Essexville, then continuing upriver to finish unloading at the Lafarge Stone Dock in Saginaw. In next was the tug Zeus, with the tank barge Robert F. Deegan. The pair called on the Port Fisher dock in Bay City. Just a little down river, the tug Sharon M I, pushing the barge Huron Spirit, called on the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City. American Century was the last to arrive, stopping at the Consumers Energy Dock in Essexville to unload coal.
Saginaw River Report for June 2018 June was a big month on the Saginaw River for commercial vessel cargo deliveries. There were a total of 26 vessel passages for June. This is eleven more passages than June 2017 and seven more than the 5-year average. Looking back even further, June 2018 was 6 passages above the 10-year average of 20. For the total commercial vessel passages for the year to date, the Saginaw River has had 44. This number represents an increase of eleven more then the 33 passages logged in 2017. These 44 vessel passages at the end of June 2018 also represent an increase of seven passages over the 5-year average of 37 and two passages over the 10-year average of 42
July 4-5, 2018 Mississagi called on the Saginaw River, unloading at the North Star Dock in Essexville on Wednesday morning. She was outbound later Wednesday afternoon. Samuel de Champlain - Innovation were inbound on Thursday morning, calling on the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville to unload. The pair were expected to be outbound later in the evening on Thursday.
June 29-30, 2018 The tug G.L. Ostrander, and her cement barge, Integrity, called on the Saginaw River on Friday, stopping at the Lafarge Cement Dock in Essexville. The pair were back outbound by late afternoon. Saturday morning saw the arrival of Olive L. Moore - Menominee, traveling to the upper river to unload at the Buena Vista dock.
June 23-26, 2018 On June 23rd, the Dorothy Ann-Pathfinder called on the Saginaw River with a split load. The pair dropped a partial cargo at the Wirt Stone Dock in Bay City, before continuing upriver to finish unloading at the Wirt Stone Dock in Saginaw. June 25th saw the arrival of the Alpena, unloading at the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville. Very early on the morning of June 26th, the Dorothy Ann-Pathfinder were back again, this time unloading at the Wirt Sand and Stone dock in Essexville. The pair were outbound before daylight on the 26th.
June 21, 2018 Algoma Innovator made her very first trip to the upper Saginaw River Thursday afternoon, calling on the Sargent Dock in Zilwaukee with a cargo of salt. She was expected to be outbound early Friday morning.
June 20 & 21, 2018 Traffic remains steady on the Saginaw River. Manitowoc called on the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City on Wednesday morning to unload. Later in the day Wednesday, Walter J.McCarthy arrived to unload coal at the Consumers Energy Dock in Essexville. Thursday morning saw the arrival of the Olive L. Moore - Menominee. The pair were traveling to the upper river to unload at a Saginaw area dock.
June 14-18, 2018 The Walter J. McCarthy, Jr. unloaded coal at the Consumers Energy dock in Essexville on June 14th. June 15th saw the arrival of the tug G.L. Ostrander and her cement barge, Integrity. The pair called on the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville to unload. On June 17th, the Herbert C. Jackson unloaded at the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City. June 18th saw two vessel passages: The H. Lee White also called on the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates dock to unload. A few hours later, Olive L. Moore - Menominee arrived on the Saginaw River, traveling all the way up to the Lafarge Stone dock in Saginaw to unload.
June 13, 2018 The tug Defiance and her self unloading barge, Ashtabula, called on the Saginaw River early Wednesday evening. the pair entered the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates slip to unload. Defiance - Ashtabula had finished unloading and were outbound early Thursday morning.
June 11 & 12, 2018 Four vessels have visited the Saginaw River in the past two days, delivering cargo to five different docks. The tug Undaunted, and her self unloading barge, Pere Marquette 41, arrived Monday morning, calling on the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City. While the pair was unloading there, the John J. Boland also arrived with a cargo for Bay Aggregates. In a seldom seen operation, both vessels were able to fit in the slip and unload at the same time. Late Monday night saw the arrival of the steamer Alpena, calling on the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville, directly across the river from the Undaunted and Boland. On Tuesday morning, the tug Dorothy Ann and her self unloading barge, Pathfinder, arrived on the Saginaw River with a split cargo. The pair dropped partial load at the the Wirt Stone Dock in Bay City, then continued upriver to finish unloading at the Wirt Stone Dock in Saginaw.
June 10, 2018 The American Integrity was inbound for the Saginaw River early Saturday morning, calling on the Consumers Energy dock in Essexville to unload coal. She completed her unload later in the afternoon, backed into the Saginaw Bay, then turned and headed for the lake. The Ryba Marine Construction Company tug, Thomas R. Morrish, arrived on the Saginaw River on saturday as well, bringing dredging equipment. The tug made a few trips to the upper river, moving equipment that was initially staged in Essexville upon their arrival. The tug Manitou, pushing two barges for Ryba Marine, was upbound on the Saginaw River, Sunday afternoon, bound for Carrollton. She was to be outbound, light tug, later during the early evening hours.
June 8, 2018 The tug Samuel de Champlain and her powdered cement barge, Innovation, called on the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville on Friday to unload. the pair were expected to be outbound late Friday night or early Saturday morning
June 6th, 2018 Mississagi was inbound on the Saginaw River overnight, calling on the Buena Vista Dock, just above the Zilwaukee Bridge, to unload. She turned around in the Sixth Street Basin late Wednesday morning and was outbound for the lake. Late Monday night, Olive L. Moore - Menominee were on the Saginaw River, unloading at the Lafarge Stone dock in Saginaw, into the day on Tuesday. The pair were outbound later that evening.
Cuyahoga arrived on the Saginaw River Saturday morning, heading upriver to unload at the Buena Vista Dock, just above the Zilwaukee Bridge. Once she completed her unload, she turned in the Sixth Street Basin and was outbound for the lake early in the evening. Algoma Innovator made her first ever visit to the Saginaw River early Sunday morning, calling on the North Star Dock in Essexville to unload Potash. She arrived at the dock around 3am and was outbound late in the afternoon.
Saginaw River Report for May 2018 During the month of May, there were 14 commercial vessel passages on the Saginaw River. This is the same number of passages as compared to May of last season. The 5-year average for the month of May is 13 passages, so we are just slightly above that. For the total vessel passages year to date, there have been 18. This is also the same as compared to May of last year. It is also exactly the same as the 5-year average for May at 18 vessel passages.
May 28, 2018 The BBC Europe arrived on the Saginaw River, calling on the Port Fisher Dock in Bay City. She was assisted to the dock by the Malcolm Marine tug, Manitou. The tug Zeus, and her tank barge, Robert F. Deegan also arrived on the Saginaw River on the 28th, tying up in the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates slip to wait for the BBC Europe to clear the dock. Once the BBC Europe departed for the lake, Zeus moved over to the Port Fisher dock to unload.
May 23-25, 2018 There have been a few vessel passages on the Saginaw River this week. Dorothy Ann - Pathfinder has been in three times. On May 21st, the pair unloaded at the Essexville Wirt Sand & Stone dock. Then, on May 23rd, the pair delivered to the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City and were back again on May 25th, delivering a split cargo to the Wirt Stone Docks in Bay City and Saginaw. On May 24th, the American Century called on the Consumers Energy Dock in Essexville to unload coal.
May 17-21, 2018 On Thursday, the Walter J. McCarthy, Jr. called on the Consumers Energy dock in Essexville to unload coal. The Herbert C. Jackson called on the Saginaw River late Saturday night, carrying a split cargo. The Jackson dropped part of her cargo at the Wirt Stone Dock in Bay City, then traveled up to finish at the Wirt Stone Dock in Saginaw. The tug Dorothy Ann and barge Pathfinder called on the Saginaw River on a very foggy Monday morning, unloading the the Essexville Wirt Sand and Stone Dock. Once finished, the pair departed the dock and were outbound for the lake.
May 10, 2018 The tug Samuel de Champlain and cement barge, Innovation, called on the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville Thursday morning. The pair unloaded there through the day and were expected to be outbound late in the evening or early Friday morning.
Commercial Vessel Passages for April 2018: During the month of April, there were 3 commercial vessel passages on the Saginaw River. This is the same number of passages as compared to April of last season. The 5-year average for the month of April is 4 passages, so we are just slightly behind that. Looking back to the 10-year average, we fall a little further behind, as that average is 7 vessel passages. Interesting to note, back in 2010, there were a whopping 17 commercial vessel passages for the month of April! For the total vessel passages year to date, there have been 4. This is also the same as compared to April of last year. It is also close to the 5-year average for April at 5 vessel passages and a few behind the 10-year average of 7.
May 5th, 2018 The Olive L. Moore - Menominee called on the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates dock on Wednesday to unload. The pair were outbound later that night. Friday saw the arrival of the Walter J. McCarthy, Jr., calling on the Consumers Energy Dock in Essexville, to unload coal. Once finished, the McCarthy backed from the dock and out into the Saginaw Bay to turn around and head for the lake. The Olive L. Moore - Menominee were back again early Saturday morning, becoming the first commercial vessel of the season to travel all of the way up the Saginaw River. The pair called on the last dock at the end of the shipping channel, the Lafarge Stone Dock in Saginaw.
May 1st, 2018 H. Lee White arrived at the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates Dock late Monday night to unload. Once finished, she was outbound for the lake Tuesday morning. U. S. Coast Guard Cutter Hollyhock also arrived on the Saginaw River Monday night, tying up at the Consumers Energy Dock in Essexville. Hollyhock will be working AToN on the Saginaw Bay for the Saginaw River Entrance Channel.
The Saginaw River has had two recent commercial vessel passages. Sunday saw the arrival of the tug Zeus, and her tank barge, Robert F. Deegan. The pair unloaded at the Port Fisher/International dock in Bay City. Monday morning saw the arrival of the John J. Boland, calling on the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates Dock in Bay City. The Boland was unloading late in the afternoon and expected to depart by early evening.
April 21, 2018 The 1000' Great Lakes Freighter, Indiana Harbor, called on the Consumers Energy Dock, in Essexville, early Saturday morning to unload coal. Later in the evening, Indiana Harbor backed from the dock and out into the Saginaw Bay, where she turned and headed for the lake. The was only the second commercial vessel delivery to the Saginaw River this season, the fisrst being the Spartan - Spartan II way back on March 29th.
March 29, 2018 The Saginaw River saw the first commercial vessel arrival and cargo delivery for the 2018 shipping season this afternoon. The tug Spartan and her tank barge, Spartan II, called on the Port Fisher dock in Bay City, marking the second year in a row that they were the first arrival. This year, they started the season on the Saginaw River, one day earlier than last year.
2017 Year End Report Saginaw River Vessel Traffic Saginaw River - Shipping Season Report – 2017 After recording disappointing numbers for the 2016 shipping season, commercial vessel passage numbers for the Saginaw River looked like they would be much the same during the first few months of 2017. Later season numbers rebounded nicely however, and the increased traffic, coupled with more tonnage carried on each vessel per load, places this season in the record books as being one of the better ones over the past few years. The following is a look back at what took place along the banks of the Saginaw River during this past year: The 2017 shipping season officially started on March 30th, with the arrival of the tug Spartan and her tank barge, Spartan II. The pair called on the Port Fisher Dock in Bay City to start the season, eleven days later than the 2016 season opener. The 2017 season came to a close on an icy December 23rd, when the tug G.L. Ostrander and her cement barge, Integrity, called on the Lafarge Cement Dock in Essexville with the last inbound cargo of the season. This was five days later than the 2016 close, for a season lasting 268 days, six days shorter than last year. For 2017, there were a total of 133 commercial vessel passages. That is 20 more than the previous season. These passages were made by 31 different vessels, representing thirteen different companies, an increase of three more unique vessels and one less company, as compared to the 2016 numbers. Looking at some of the other statistics from the 2017 season, there were 14 docks receiving cargos this season. This number was unchanged from last year, but the docks receiving product however, did change. The North Star Fertilizer Dock in Essexville did not receive any deliveries by boat in 2016, but recorded three during the 2017 season. On the other side, The Port Fisher Fertilizer dock did not see any vessel deliveries in 2017, after receiving one delivery in 2016. The dock seeing the most traffic in 2017 was the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates Dock in Bay City, seeing 34 vessel deliveries. This was twelve more deliveries than during the 2016 season. Coming in second was the Wirt Stone Dock in Bay City, with 22 cargo deliveries, which was three fewer than the previous season. In a tie for third place was the Wirt Stone Dock in Saginaw and the Consumers Energy Dock in Essexville, each with 17 cargo deliveries. These four docks accounted for 57% of all vessel deliveries to the Saginaw River in 2017. The top two docks, Bay Aggregates and Bay City Wirt, have now been the two busiest docks for the past six years running. In all, accounting for split cargos by some vessels, unloading at two different docks on the same visit, there were 159 deliveries to the various docks along the Saginaw River. This is 16 more actual dock deliveries than during the 2016 season. For the eleventh year in a row, the tug Olive L. Moore, paired with the self-unloading barge Lewis J. Kuber, made the most trips to the Saginaw River, this season logging 26 visits. This is one more than 2016. The vessel with the second most trips to the Saginaw River, logging 16 trips, was Interlake Steamship Company’s tug Dorothy Ann, paired with the self-unloading barge Pathfinder. The top two were followed by the Sam Laud, with 9 passages, then the Walter J. McCarthy, Jr. and Algoway, each with 8 visits. Lower Lakes Towing/Grand River Navigation, as they have for many consecutive years now, logged the most visits by a fleet in 2017, with 36 vessel passages. This was eight fewer than 2016, but was still just good enough for the eleventh year in a row for LLT/GRN to be in the #1 position, accounting for 23% of the vessel passages on the Saginaw River. The next busiest fleet, and falling just short of having the most visits, was the American Steamship Company with 35 vessel passages. This represents an increase of 19 more deliveries for ASC, as compared to 2016. Third place went to the Interlake Steamship Company with 23 passages, an increase of seven for last season. These three companies accounted for 59% of all deliveries on the Saginaw River in 2017. There were a number of vessels that were visitors to the Saginaw River in 2016, that did not make a delivery here in 2017, with those vessels being the Algorail, Robert S. Pierson, Saginaw, Mississagi, Sjard, Leonard M. – Huron Spirit, Harbour Fashion, Happy Ranger, and Floretgract. The list of boats that were not visitors in 2016, but visited the Saginaw River in 2017 were: American Mariner, Indiana Harbor, Sam Laud, Michipicoten, Great Republic, Manitoulin, H.R. Constellation, BBC Alberta, BBC Campana, BBC Elbe, BBC Volga, and the tug Sharon M I. The BBC boats, H.R. Constellation, and Sharon M I made their first ever deliveries to the Saginaw River in 2017. The tugs Manitou and Gregory J. Busch worked the Saginaw River in 2017, assisting vessels in turning, making their dock, and ice breaking. The USCG Cutter Hollyhock also made visits to work aids to navigation in the Saginaw River Entrance Channel. There were a few other notable stories during the 2017 season. The visits by the vessel Great Republic, were the first by this vessel under her new name and the colors of the Great Lakes Fleet. Her last visit was in 2008 as the American Republic, under the colors of the American Steamship Company. The vessel Manitoulin is also an interesting new, first time visitor. She is a combination of new and old, having a self-unloading bow section, built new in 2015, and mated to the 1991 built stern section of the saltwater vessel Lalandia Swan. Another story of note was the continued arrival of wind turbine components and blades, brought in to the Port Fisher Dock in Bay City, by foreign flagged cargo ships. This was the second season in a row for this new cargo to the Saginaw River. Port Fisher has steadily made improvements to their facility, which has allowed for new and more diverse cargos to be delivered to dock there. The upcoming 2018 season will hopefully be a safe and profitable one for everyone involved. Hopefully we will see all of our regular vessels again during the upcoming season, as well as some new boats, or boats that have not visited in some time. We will also see if there is any maintenance dredging to be done on the Saginaw River this season, as there was none undertaken during 2017.
December 21-24 December 21: Herbert C. Jackson arrived in the late morning with a split load for Wirt Stone Dock in Bay City and Saginaw. December 22: Herbert C. Jackson was outbound in the early morning hours, but tied up at the Port Fisher dock for unknown reasons. December 23: GL Ostrander - Integrity arrived in the morning, and were destined for the Lafarge Cement Dock in Essexville. December 24: GL Ostrander - Integrity were outbound on Christmas Eve, and is excepted to be the last commercial passage on the Saginaw River for the season.
December 18-20 December 18: GL Ostrander - Integrity were inbound for the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville. Herbert C. Jackson arrived late at night with a split load for Wirt Stone Dock in Bay City and Saginaw. December 19: GL Ostrander - Integrity continued to unload at the LaFarge Cement dock in Essexville throughout the day. Herbert C. Jackson was outbound in the afternoon, but tied up at the Bay Aggregates Dock in the evening for unknown reasons. December 20: Both the Herbert C. Jackson and GL Ostrander - Integrity were outbound in the morning.
December 13-15 The Algoway arrived on Wednesday December 13th, but was unable to break through the ice at the mouth of the river. As the vessel began to turn, it was gradually slowed to a halt in ice that had piled up from Monday and Tuesday’s winds. After backing up and attempting to ram the ice with no success, she came to a stop just outside the river at approximately 11:15 AM. In the evening, the Gregory J. Busch departed her dock in Carrollton and began the trip up the river to assist, arriving on the scene at 8:15 PM. By 8:30 PM the Algoway was freed, and the Busch assisted her into the river. The Algoway arrived the North Star Dock in Essexville at 9:20 PM to unload potash on what could easily be her last trip to the Saginaw River. After unloading overnight, she was assisted out of the river by the Gregory J. Busch on the morning of Thursday, December 14th. On Thursday afternoon, the John J. Boland arrived with a load of stone for Bay Aggregates. After unloading, they were outbound in the early morning hours of Friday December 15th.
December 10, 2017 On Friday, December 8th, Indiana Harbor arrived at the Consumers Energy dock in Essexville, to unload coal. As of 20:30 hours this evening, she was still at the dock.
November 30, 2017 Commercial shipping traffic, for November, started out slow on the Saginaw River, but rebounded nicely towards the end of the month. There were a total of 14 commercial vessel deliveries for the month of November. This is twice a many as compared to 2016, when there were only 7, and right on par with the five year average, which is also 14. For the year to date, there have been 126 commercial vessel passages on the Saginaw River. This is 23 more than last year, at this time, and 7 more than the five year average. This total is also more than the total number of passages for the entire 2016 season, when there were only 113.
November 27, 2017 The Olive L. Moore - Menominee called on the Saginaw River late Sunday night, traveling to the upper river to unload at the Burroughs dock in Zilwaukee. The pair were outbound Monday morning. Inbound a short time later was Dorothy Ann - Pathfinder, inbound with a split cargo for the Bay City and Saginaw Wirt Stone docks. They were outbound for the lake Monday night. Alpena remained at the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville as of 9:30pm, Monday night.
November 26, 2017 Alpena called on the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville on Saturday, to unload a cargo of powdered cement. Across the river, at the Port Fisher - Bay Aggregates dock, the John J. Boland arrived later in the day to unload stone.
November 17th to 24th, 2017 After a very slow start to November, commercial shipping traffic on the Saginaw River has had a big rebound over the past seven days. Between November 17th and November 24th, there have been seven commercial passages. They are as follows: * G.L. Ostrander - Integrity: Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville * Sam Laud: Port Fisher-Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City * Olive L. Moore - Menominee: Bay City Wirt dock * Dorothy Ann - Pathfinder: Bay City and Saginaw Wirt docks * Herbert C. Jackson: GM dock in Saginaw * Walter J. McCarthy, Jr.: Consumers Energy dock in Essexville * Olive L. Moore - Menominee: Port Fisher-Bay Aggregates
Saginaw River Report - October 2017 For the month of October, there were 15 commercial vessel passages on the Saginaw River. This number is on par with the 5-year average, which is also 15, but it is well below the number of passages that were recorded for the same one month period last season, when there were 21 commercial passages. For the year to date, there have been 112 commercial vessel passages recorded on the Saginaw River. This number is actually above the numbers for last season, when there were only 96 vessel passages recorded at the end of October. As compared to the 5-year average, the numbers are also up by seven passages from the 105 average.
September 30, 2017 There were a total of 20 commercial vessel passages on the Saginaw River during the month of September. This number represents an increase of five vessel passages over the same time period in 2016, and three more passages than the five year average of 17. For the year to date, there have been 97 commercial vessel passages. This is a huge increase from last year, when there were only 75 at the end of September. It is also above the 5-year average of 90 passages.
Saginaw River Vessel Passages - 9/12/17-9/18/17 September 12: Undaunted - Pere Marquette 41 unloaded at the Port Fisher/ Bay Aggregates Dock. After unloading, they took on an aggregate cargo to be delivered to Green Bay, WI. This marked the first cargo loaded on the Saginaw River in a number of years. September 12: Algoway unloaded at the Sargent dock in Zilwaukee September 13: Manitoulin unloaded at the Wirt Stone Docks in Bay City and Saginaw. She later had a mechanical issue and needed tug assistance to transit the Saginaw River and head to Sarnia for repair. September 15: Olive L. Moore - Menominee unloaded at the Burroughs Dock in Zilwaukee September 16: Walter J. McCarthy, Jr. unloaded at the Consumers Energy Dock in Essexville September 18: Algoway unloaded at the Sargent Dock in Zilwaukee September 18: Olive L. Moore - Menominee unloaded at the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates Dock in Bay City
Saginaw River Passages for August 2017 Commercial shipping traffic levels remained above average on the Saginaw River for the month of August. There were 19 commercial vessel passages last month, an increase of seven passages compared to last season. The month of August was also one passage above the five year average 18. For the year to date, there have been 77 commercial vessel passages. This represents an increase 17 passages from passages last year and four passages more then the five year average.
Traffic on the Saginaw River during the past week has been as follows: August 29th: *Sam Laud - Unloaded at the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates Dock in Bay City September 3rd: *Herbert C. Jackson - Unloaded at the GM Dock in Saginaw 4th: *American Century - Unloaded at the Consumers Energy Dock in Essexville 6th: *Olive L. Moore - Menominee - Unloaded at the Bay City Wirt Stone Dock 7th: *Dorothy Ann - Pathfinder - Unloaded at the Bay City and Saginaw Wirt Stone docks 8th: *John J. Boland - Unloaded at the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates Dock in Bay City
August 20-27, 2017 Traffic on the Saginaw River during the past week has been as follows: 20th: *Algoway - Unloaded at the North Star Dock in Essexville *Olive L. Moore - Menominee - Unloaded at the Burroughs North Dock in Essexville and the Lafarge Stone Dock in Saginaw 22nd: *Herbert C. Jackson - Unloaded at the Wirt Stone Docks in Bay City and Saginaw 23rd: *BBC Elbe - Unloaded wind turbine components at the Port Fisher Dock in Bay City 25th: *Samuel de Champlain - Innovation - Unloaded at the Lafarge Cement Dock in Essexville 26th: *Dorothy Ann - Pathfinder - Unloaded at the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates Dock 27th: *Walter J. McCarthy, Jr. - Unloaded at the Consumers Energy Dock in Essexville *Sam Laud - Unloaded at the Burroughs North Dock in Essexville
August 15, 2017 Alpena called on the Saginaw River Monday evening, calling on the Lafarge Cement Dock in Essexville. She was outbound Tuesday morning after unloading overnight. Olive L. Moore - Menominee were inbound Tuesday morning, calling on the Port Fisher/Bay aggregates dock in Bay City. The pair unloaded and were outbound for the lake Tuesday night.
August 12, 2017 The Olive L. Moore - Menominee were inbound on the Saginaw River, calling on both the Burroughs dock in Zilwaukee and the Lafarge Stone dock in Saginaw. The pair were followed closely by the Herbert C. Jackson, who had dropped a partial cargo at the Wirt Stone Dock in Bay City, and then headed up to finish unloading at the Wirt Stone Dock in Saginaw.
Saginaw River Passages - July 2017 July was a great month for commercial shipping on the Saginaw River! There were a total of 25 commercial vessel passages during the month, representing an increase of fifteen passages over 2016 and seven more then the five year average. You have to go back to July 2008 to find a July with as much traffic as 2017. For the year to date, there have been 58 commercial vessel passages. This is ten more than last year at this time, and three more than the five year average.
August 1st to 7th, 2017 August 1st: -Olive L. Moore - Menominee unloaded at Port Fisher/ Bay Aggregates in Bay City. August 2nd: -Dorothy Ann - Pathfinder unloaded at Bay City and Saginaw Wirt Stone Docks. -Samuel de Champlain - Innovation unloaded at Lafarge Cement in Essexville. August 7th: -American Century unloaded at Consumers Energy in Essexville. -Olive L. Moore - Menominee unloaded at Lafarge Stone Dock in Saginaw
July 29, 2017 On July 28th, the tug Zeus and her tank barge, Robert F. Deegan, called on the Port Fisher dock in Bay City with a cargo of liquid calcium chloride. Later that evening, the tug Defiance and her self unloading barge, Ashtabula, arrived at the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City to unload. On July 29th, Manitoulin was back for her second trip in three days, calling again at the Sargent dock in Zilwaukee.
July 26, 2017 Manitoulin was inbound on the Saginaw River on Wednesday morning, bound for the Sargent dock in Zilwaukee. This is Manitoulin's first ever visit to the Saginaw River.
July 24, 2017 Steady traffic continues on the Saginaw River, with five vessels calling on various docks over the past two days. Dorothy Ann - Pathfinder unloaded at the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City, on July 22nd. She was followed by American Century, who called on the Consumers Energy dock in Essexville and Sam Laud, also unloading at Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates. On July 24th, the tug Sharon M I and barge Huron Spirit, unloaded at the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates dock. The BBC Campana also arrived on the 23rd and was assisted to the Port Fisher dock by the tug Manitou, where she was to unload wind turbine components.
July 21, 2017 Traffic has been heavier than normal on the Saginaw River this past week. On July 15th the Samuel de Champlain - Innovation called on the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville. On the 16th and again on the 18th, Sam Laud made back to back deliveries to the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates Dock. Arriving on July 20th was the BBC Alberta, calling on the Port Fisher Dock in Bay City, bringing in another shipment of wind turbine components. She was assisted to the dock by the tug Manitou. On July 21st, Algoway arrived, unloading at the Buena Vista Dock and the Lafarge Stone Dock in Saginaw. Also on the 21st was the H. Lee White, unloading at the Burroughs North dock in Essexville.
July 16, 2017 The Samuel de Champlain - Innovation arrived on the Saginaw River, calling on the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville on the 15th. Sam Laud was back for a second visit in three days, again calling on the Port fisher/Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City.
July 14, 2017 The Dorothy Ann - Pathfinder arrived on the Saginaw River on July 12, carrying a split cargo for the Wirt Stone Docks in Bay City and Saginaw. Sam Laud called on the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City, arriving on the morning of July 14th.
July 10, 2017 There have been a number of vessel passages on the Saginaw River the past few days. Olive L. Moore - Menominee arrived on July 9th, calling on the Buena Vista Dock. Indiana Harbor arrived later in the day, unloading coal at the Consumers Energy dock in Essexville. Overnight on the 10th, Alpena arrived, calling on the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville. During the afternoon on the 10th, the tug Zeus and tank barge Robert F. Deegan tied up at the Port Fisher dock, taking the spot recently vacated by the BBC Volga, who departed the Saginaw River just before, with the assistance of the tug Manitou.
July 1, 2017 HR Constellation arrived on the Saginaw River Saturday afternoon, with wind turbine components for delivery at the Port Fisher Dock in Bay City. She was assisted to the dock by the tug Manitou.
June 28, 2017 After arriving nearly five days ago, both the Algoway and the G.L. Ostrander - Integrity, were able to turn, with tug assistance and depart the Saginaw River on Wednesday. Extremely heavy rains caused flood conditions and very strong currents in the river. Conditions had improved enough by Wednesday to safely attempt to turn both vessels with tug assistance. The tug Manitou assisted the G.L. Ostrander - Integrity this morning. Then both the Manitou and the Gregory J. Busch assisted Algoway this afternoon.
June 26, 2017 Saginaw River update: As of 7am, Monday, June 26th, the Saginaw River was at 18.64 feet and rising. Flood stage is 17 feet. The crest has now been lowered to 19.8 feet, coming around 7am Tuesday morning. The discharge is currently 31,600 cubic feet per minute. Algoway is actually still loaded and waiting for conditions to improve before they can make the turn into the slip where they are supposed to unload.
June 25, 2017 Algoway called on the Saginaw River on the 23rd, unloading at the LaFarge Cement dock in Essexville. She then moved a short distance upriver, to the Port Fisher dock in Bay City, to make room for the arriving G.L. Ostrander - Integrity, which also called on the Lafarge Dock. Both vessels are now unloaded and tied up, waiting to be able to turn around, as the current in the Saginaw River is extreme from very heavy rains earlier in the week. The Saginaw River is under a flood warning and as of 9am Sunday, June 25th, the river is currently at 18.08 feet and rising. Flood stage is 17 feet. The Saginaw River is expected to crest at 20.4 feet. The current rate of flow is 32,100 cubic feet per second near Downtown Bay City. The median flow rate is normally 5,000 cubic feet per second.
June 22, 2017 Indiana Harbor called on the Saginaw River to unload coal at the Consumers Energy dock in Essexville on June 20th. Later that morning, she backed from the dock, out into Saginaw Bay, to turn and head for the lake. Olive L Moore - Menominee arrived on the 21st, traveling up the river to unload at the Lafarge Stone dock in Saginaw. The pair was back outbound during the early evening hours.
June 7th through June 15th, 2017 The following were the commercial vessel passages on the Saginaw River, between June 7th and June 15th: June 7 - American Integrity - Consumers Energy Dock - Essexville June 9 - Sam Laud - Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates - Bay City June 11 - Olive L. Moore/Menominee - Burroughs Zilwaukee & Lafarge Stone Saginaw June 13 - Zeus/Robert F. Deegan - Port Fisher/Dow Dock - Bay City June 14 - Olive L. Moore/Menominee - Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates June 15 - Samuel de Champlain/Innovation - Lafarge Cement Dock - Essexville June 15 - Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder - Wirt Stone Docks in Bay City & Saginaw
Saginaw River Passages - May 2017 There were a total of 14 commercial vessel passages on the Saginaw River during the month of May. This represents an increase of one passage over the same time period last season. Looking at the 5-year average, May 2017 is right there, equal at 14 commercial vessel passages. Looking at the total vessel passages for the year to date, there have been 18, the same number logged over the same time period in 2016. Compared to the 5-year average, the 18 passages in 2017, is one less than the average of 19.
June 6th, 2017 Dorothy Ann - Pathfinder were inbound on the Saginaw River on Sunday, June 4th, delivering a split cargo to the Bay City and Saginaw Wirt Stone docks. Monday saw two vessels on the Saginaw River, with Calumet calling on the Wirt Stone dock in Bay City, and Michipicoten delivering a cargo to the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City.
June 1, 2017 A number of recent Saginaw River Passages to report: On May 25th, the Walter J. McCarthy, Jr. called on the Consumers Energy dock in Essexville to unload.. On the 27th, American Mariner was inbound, calling on the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City. Also in on the 27th was the Olive L. Moore - Menominee, calling on both the Burroughs North dock in Essexville, and the Lafarge Stone dock in Saginaw. Finally, On June 1st, Great Republic called on the Saginaw River for the first time in her new Great Lakes Fleet colors, and with her new name, unloading a split cargo at the Burroughs North Dock and the Essexvile Wirt sand & Stone dock. Great Republic had previously visited the Saginaw River as the American Republic, while sailing for the American Steamship Company. Her last visit to the Saginaw River was on October 12, 2008, when she unloaded at the Bay Aggregate dock in Bay City.
May 22, 2017 Samuel de Champlain - Innovation called on the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville on Saturday, bringing in the first cement cargo of the season. Monday morning saw the arrival of the Olive L. Moore - Menominee on the Saginaw River. The pair traveled up to the Buena Vista dock to unload.
May 19, 2017 There were four commercial vessels moving on the Saginaw River today. The Walter J. McCarthy, Jr. arrived early Friday morning, calling on the Consumers Energy dock in Essexville to unload coal. The tug Olive L. Moore, and her barge, Menominee, were inbound, headed to the upper river to unload at the Lafarge Stone Dock in Saginaw. The tug Dorothy Ann, and barge Pathfinder, were back again, this time with a split cargo for the Wirt Stone Docks in Bay City and Saginaw. Last in was H. Lee White, delivering a cargo to the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City. All four vessels were expected to be outbound by late Friday night.
May 17, 2017 The Olive L. Moore - Menominee arrived on the Saginaw River early Wednesday morning, calling on the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates Dock to unload. A short time later, Dorothy Ann - Pathfinder also arrived on the Saginaw River with a cargo for Bay Aggregates, but with the slip already in use. The pair had to tie up at the Wirt Essexville Sand & Stone dock to wait. Late Wednesday afternoon, the Moore - Menominee finished their unload and departed Bay Aggregates for the lake. Immediately after, Dorothy Ann - Pathfinder backed into the slip and began unloading.
May 14, 2017 Cuyahoga was inbound on the Saginaw River, early Sunday morning, calling on the Buena Vista dock, located just above the Zilwaukee/I-75 Bridge. She was outbound Sunday afternoon, after finishing her unload. Cuyahoga is the first vessel to travel to the upper Saginaw river this season.
May 4, 2017 The tug Defiance, and her self unloading barge, Ashtabula, unloaded overnight at the Port Fisher Dock in Bay City. Thursday morning saw the pair backing out of the Saginaw River and headed for the lake.
May 3, 2017 The American Integrity arrived in the Saginaw Bay on Tuesday, anchoring out there overnight. She came in early Wednesday morning, calling on the Consumers Energy Dock in Essexville to unload coal. American Integrity then backed from the dock when finished, backing out to Light 12 in the Saginaw Bay to turn and head for the lake.
April 30, 2017 There were a total of three commercial vessel passages on the Saginaw River for the month of April, representing a decrease of one passage for the same month last season. Looking at past numbers, the passages were one fewer than the 5-year average of four, and five fewer than the 10-year average of 8 for the month of April. Looking at year-to-date numbers, 2017 has had 4 commercial vessel deliveries to docks along the Saginaw River, one less than the same time period in 2016. Going back, the four passages are equal to the 5-year average, and four fewer than the 10-year average for the end of April
April 26, 2017 H Lee White was inbound on the Saginaw River this evening, calling on the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates Dock, in Bay City. this is only the third commercial vessel delivery so far this shipping season.
April 22, 2017 The American Steamship Company vessel, Indiana Harbor, called on the Saginaw River this morning, delivering coal to the Consumers Energy Dock in Essexville. This marked only the second commercial delivery of the 2017 shipping season and the first since March 30th, when the tug Spartan and tank barge, Spartan II, called on the Port Fisher dock in Bay City.
March 30, 2017 On Thursday afternoon, and without fanfare or celebration, the 2017 commercial shipping season began on the Saginaw River, with the arrival of the tug Spartan, and her tank barge, Spartan II. The pair called on the Port Fisher dock in Bay City, arriving on March 30th and starting the season 11 days later than last year.
January 9, 2017 Saginaw River 2016 Shipping Season Wrap-Up After an increase in commercial vessel passages on the Saginaw River during the 2015 season, there was optimism that we would again see an increase in commercial traffic for the 2016 season. That optimism however, never became a reality, with numbers coming in more like the dismal 2014 season. The following is a look back at what took place along the banks of the Saginaw River during this past year: The 2016 shipping season officially started on March 19th, with the arrival of the tug Samuel de Champlain and her cement barge, Innovation. This was the second year in a row that the pair called on the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville to start the season, this time, starting the season twenty one days earlier than the 2015 season opener. The 2016 season came to a close on December 18th, when the American Integrity, departed the Consumers Energy dock in Essexville. This was five days sooner than the 2015 close, for a season lasting 274 days. For 2016, there were a total of 113 commercial vessel passages. That is 19 fewer than the previous season. These passages were made by 28 different vessels, representing fourteen different companies, an increase of one more unique vessel and one more company as compared to the 2015 numbers. Looking at some of the other statistics from the 2016 season, there were 14 docks receiving cargos this season. While this number was unchanged from last year, the docks receiving product however, did change, as the GM Dock in Saginaw, received two cargos, after not receiving any in 2015. The North Star Fertilizer Dock in Essexville did not receive any deliveries by boat in 2016, after receiving two in 2015. The dock seeing the most traffic in 2016 was the Wirt Stone Dock in Bay City, seeing 25 vessel deliveries. This was the same number of deliveries as in the 2015 season. Coming in second was the Bay Aggregates Dock in Bay City, with 22 cargo deliveries, nine fewer than the previous season, and the Wirt Stone Dock in Saginaw coming in third, with 20 cargo deliveries. These three docks accounted for 47% of all vessel deliveries to the Saginaw River in 2016. The top two docks, Bay Aggregates and Bay City Wirt, have now been the two busiest docks for the past five years running. In all, accounting for split cargos by some vessels that unloaded at two different docks on the same visit, there were 143 deliveries to the various docks along the Saginaw River. This is 19 fewer actual dock deliveries than in 2015. For the tenth year in a row, the tug Olive L. Moore, paired with the self-unloading barge Lewis J. Kuber, made the most trips to the Saginaw River, logging 25 visits. This is a huge decrease from 2015, when the pair made 55 trips to the river. The vessel with the second most trips to the Saginaw River, logging 18 trips, and cutting into the total of the Moore-Kuber due to a new contract acquisition, is Interlake Steamship Company’s tug Dorothy Ann, paired with the self-unloading barge Pathfinder. The top two were followed by Manitowoc, with 6 passages and then the Alpena and the Herbert C. Jackson with 5 visits each. Lower Lakes Towing/Grand River Navigation, as they have for many years now, logged the most visits by a fleet in 2016, with 44 vessel passages. This was 19 fewer than 2015, but was still good enough for the tenth year in a row for LLT/GRN in the #1 position, accounting for 39% of the vessel passages on the Saginaw River. The next busiest fleet was the Interlake Steamship Company with 23 vessel passages, and then in third was American Steamship Company with 16 passages. These three companies accounted for 73% of all deliveries on the Saginaw River in 2016. There were a number of vessels that were visitors to the Saginaw River in 2015, that did not make a delivery here in 2016, with those vessels being American Courage, American Mariner, Buffalo, Indiana Harbor, Sam Laud, Manistee, Harbour Fountain, Larsholmen, and Chem Norma. The list of boats that were not visitors in 2015, but visited the Saginaw River in 2016 were: John J. Boland, Sjard, Dorothy Ann – Pathfinder, Calumet, Defiance – Ashtabula, Robert S. Pierson, Saginaw, Harbour Fashion, Happy Ranger, and Floretgracht. The Floretgracht, Happy Ranger, and Sjard made their first ever deliveries to the Saginaw River in 2016. The tugs Manitou and Kimberly Anne were also visitors. The USCG Cutter Hollyhock made visits to work aids to navigation in the Saginaw River Entrance Channel, and the tug Gregory J. Busch, who calls the Saginaw River home, was also up and down the river numerous times. There were a few notable stories during 2016. Crews from Dean Marine & Excavating worked out in the Saginaw Bay, west of the Saginaw River Front Range, dredging the Kawkawlin River Entrance Channel. As mentioned earlier, neither the North Star Dock in Essexville, nor the Bit-Mat dock in Bay City received any cargo deliveries by water this season. Another exciting story of note was the arrival of wind turbine components and blades, brought in to the Port Fisher Dock in Bay City, by foreign flagged cargo ships. Port Fisher also received turbine components and blades by rail as well. Finally, the tall ship festival returned to the Saginaw River in 2016, with the following vessels taking part: Pride of Baltimore II, Denis Sullivan, US Brig Niagara, El Galleon Andalucía, Draken Harald Harfagre, Madeline, Mist of Avalon, Pathfinder, Playfair, When and If, Appledore IV, and Appledore V. The upcoming 2017 season will hopefully be a safe and profitable one for everyone involved. As I write this, ice is just now taking a firm hold on the Saginaw River and Saginaw Bay. Hopefully we will see all of our regular vessels again during the upcoming season, as well as some new boats, or boats that have not visited in some time. We will also see if there is any maintenance dredging to be done on the Saginaw River this season. Here is wishing everyone a safe and prosperous shipping season in 2017!
December 31, 2016 For the month of December, there were 10 commercial vessel passages on the Saginaw River, with the last two requiring ice breaking assistance from the tug Manitou. This number of passages represents six more than December of 2015, and four more passages than the five year average. For the end of 2016, there were a grand total of 113 commercial vessel passages. This is 19 passages less than the 2015 season total of 132. 2016 also finished 13 vessel passages below the five year average of 126.
December 1, 2016 Alpena arrived on the Saginaw River early Thursday morning, calling on the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville. She was followed a few hours later by the tug Dorothy Ann and her barge, Pathfinder, who stopped just past Alpena to unload at the Burroughs North dock in Essexville. These vessels mark the first commercial vessel traffic on the Saginaw River since November 16th, when American Integrity unloaded coal at Consumers Energy in Essexville.
November 30, 2016 Commercial shipping on the Saginaw River started out quickly during the month of November, but then abruptly stopped after November 16th, when the last commercial delivery was recorded for the month. The famous November Gales played a part in this as two strong systems, bringing heavy winds and waves to the Great Lakes, slowed shipping as vessels went to anchor to wait out the storms. There were a total of seven commercial vessel passages on the Saginaw River during the month of November. This number represents nine fewer passages as compared to November 2015 and eight fewer then the 5-year average of 15. For the total vessel passages for the year-to-date, there have been a total of 103. This is 25 less than in 2015 and 16 fewer than the 5-year average of 119.
Saginaw River Passages September 21 to October 10, 2016 9/21 - OLIVE L. MOORE - LEWIS J. KUBER, Lafarge Stone Dock in Saginaw 9/25 - ALPENA, Lafarge Cement Dock in Essexville 9/28 - OLIVE L. MOORE - LEWIS J. KUBER, Lafarge Stone Dock in Saginaw 9/29 - DOROTHY ANN - PATHFINDER, Wirt Stone Docks in Bay City & Saginaw 10/4 - WALTER J. MCCARTHY, JR., Consumers Energy Dock in Essexville 10/4 - CALUMET, Burroughs Dock in Zilwaukee & Lafarge Stone Dock in Saginaw 10/6 - HERBERT C. JACKSON, Wirt Sand and Stone Dock in Essexville 10/8 - HERBERT C. JACKSON, Wirt Stone Dock in Bay City and Saginaw 10/10 - HERBERT C. JACKSON, Wirt Stone Dock in Bay City and Saginaw 10/10 - ROBERT S. PIERSON, Sargent Dock in Zilwaukee 10/10 - UNDAUNTED - PERE MARQUETTE 41, Bay Aggregates Dock in Bay City
Saginaw River - September Passages For the month of September, there were 15 commercial vessel passages on the Saginaw River. This is a decrease of two passages as compared to the year before, but right on the 5-year average of 15 passages for September. Looking at the year-to-date for the end of September, there were 75 commercial vessel passages. This represents a decrease of 24 passages from the 99 logged last year during the same time period. Looking at the 5-year average, 2016 is 15 commercial vessel passages below the average for the same time period.
September 17th to 20th, 2016 The John J. Boland called on the Bay Aggregates Dock in Bay City on the 17th, unloading there during the day. The Boland departed the slip there and was back outbound for the lake a short time later. On the 20th, Dorothy Ann-Pathfinder were inbound on the Saginaw River, carrying a split cargo. The pair dropped a partial cargo at the Wirt Stone Dock in Bay City, then traveled upriver to finish unloading at the Wirt Stone Dock in Saginaw. Also inbound later in the morning was the Walter J. McCarthy, Jr., calling on the Consumers Energy dock in Essexville. Both vessels are expected to be outbound Tuesday afternoon.
August 27 to September 14, 2016 There have been a number of vessel passages on the Saginaw River since my last post: -August 27th - Dorothy Ann - Pathfinder - Bay Aggregates Dock - Bay City -September 1st: Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber - Burroughs North Dock - Essexville -September 3rd: Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber - Lafarge Stone Dock - Saginaw -September 9th: American Century - Consumers Energy Dock - Essexville -September 9th: Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber - Wirt Stone Dock - Bay City -September 11th: Saginaw - Buena Vista Dock - Saginaw -September 11th: Dorothy Ann - Pathfinder - Wirt Stone Dock - Bay City & Saginaw -September 12th: Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber - Buena Vista Dock -September 14th: Dorothy Ann - Pathfinder - Wirt Stone Dock - Bay City
September 5, 2016 Traffic on the Saginaw River was down for August 2016, with only 12 commercial vessel passages logged for the month. This is down six passages from the 18 logged during August 2015. It is also 5 fewer than the 5-year average of 17. For the year to date, there have been a total of 60 commercial vessel passages. This represents a total of 22 fewer than last year's 82, and 14 fewer than the 5-year average of 74.
August 9th through 26th, 2016 There have been a number of vessel passages since my last post here: August 11 - The Dorothy Ann - Pathfinder traveled up the Saginaw River, unloading at the GM dock in Saginaw. August 13 - Algoway called on the Saginaw River, unloading at the Bay Aggregates Dock in Bay City. August 20 - G.L. Ostrander - Integrity unloaded at the Lafarge Cement Dock in Essexville. August 22 - Dorothy Ann - Pathfinder returned, this time delivering a split cargo for both the Bay City and Saginaw Wirt Stone Docks. August 26 - Walter J. McCarthy, Jr. called at the Consumers Energy Dock in Essexville to unload coal.
August 8, 2016 The tug Defiance, and her barge, Ashtabula, unloaded at the Bay Aggregates Dock in Bay City this afternoon. The pair departed early in the evening.
August 4, 2016 The tug Zeus, and her tank barge, Robert F. Deegan, called on the Port Fisher dock in Bay City to unload Thursday morning. The pair were back outbound for the lake later in the evening. Alpena was inbound early Thursday afternoon, calling on the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville. She was expected to be outbound after unloading, sometime early on Friday.
Saginaw River Passages - July 2016 Commercial vessel traffic was down for the month of July, with only 10 commercial vessel deliveries on the Saginaw River. This represents nine fewer passages than July of 2015, and six fewer than the five year average of 16. For the year to date, there have been a total of 48 commercial vessel deliveries to Saginaw River docks. This is down sixteen passages from the same time period in 2015 and is nine fewer than the five year average.
August 1, 2016 To start the month of August, there were two commercial deliveries to the Saginaw River. Monday morning saw the arrival of the H Lee White, calling on the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City. After unloading, she was outbound for the lake during the late afternoon. A short time later, the tug Dorothy Ann, and her self unloading barge, Pathfinder, were inbound with a split cargo. The pair dropped part of their load at the Wirt Stone Dock in Bay City, then continued upriver to finish unloading at the Wirt Stone Dock in Saginaw. Dorothy Ann - Pathfinder were outbound early Tuesday morning.
July 21, 2016 Manitowoc was inbound on the Saginaw River, Thursday evening, calling on the Wirt Stone Dock in Bay City. After unloading Sugar Stone, she turned off the dock and was outbound for the lake.
July 19, 2016 The Saginaw River has had three commercial deliveries in the past few days. Alpena called on the Lafarge Cement Dock in Essexville, arriving early Sunday morning. She was followed by the tug Defiance, and her self unloading barge, Ashtabula, who called on the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City. Tuesday morning saw the arrival of Mississagi, bringing in a split cargo for the Wirt Sand and Stone dock in Essexville and the Buena Vista Dock in Saginaw.
July 6, 2016 Inbound on the Saginaw River Wednesday morning, the tug Undaunted, and her self unloading barge, Pere Marquette 41, called on the Port Fisher - Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City. The pair finished their unload later in the day and were back outbound for the lake.
July 1, 2016 Algoway outbound on the Saginaw River, at Cass Avenue, after unloading at the Buena Vista Dock in Saginaw. 7/1/16
June 24-27, 2016 Friday, June 24 saw the arrival of the Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber. The pair called on the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City to unload. On Saturday, June 25th, two vessels entered the Saginaw River to unload cargo. Dorothy Ann-Pathfinder called on the Essexville Sand and Stone dock in Essexville, and the St. John's registered, Sjard, called on the Port Fisher dock in Bay City to unload wind turbine parts. On Sunday, June 26th, another two vessels called on the Saginaw River. This time it was Alpena, unloading at the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville, and a return visit from the Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber, with the pair unloading this time at the Lafarge Stone dock in Saginaw.
June 17-20, 2016 The John J Boland made two visits to the Saginaw River recently, calling on the Burroughs North Stone dock in Essexville, June 17th and on June 19th, across the river, unloading at the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City. June 19th brought the Dorothy Ann - Pathfinder with a split cargo. The pair unloaded a partial cargo at the Wirt Stone dock in Bay City, before heading upriver to finish the unload at the Wirt Stone dock in Saginaw. Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber arrived on the evening of June 20th, calling on the Wirt Stone dock in Bay City.
June 14-16, 2016 The tug Zeus and her tank barge, Robert F. Deegan, called on the Port Fisher Dock Tuesday, to unload. The pair were outbound on Wednesday. Wednesday evening saw the arrival of the Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber, with a split cargo. The pair stopped first at the Burroughs North dock in Essexville, dropping a partial cargo there. They then continued upriver, finishing the unload at the Lafarge Stone dock in Saginaw.
June 7, 2016 There was a flurry of activity on the Saginaw River during the afternoon Tuesday. Algoway, who had arrived overnight and unloaded at the Bay Aggregates Dock in Bay City, backed out of the slip and tied up across the river at the Lafarge Cement Dock. There, she waited for the inbound tug, Leonard M and barge, Huron Spirit, to enter the slip that they had just vacated. Once Leonard M - Huron Spirit were safely in the slip to unload, the Harbour Fashion, assisted by the tug Gregory J. Busch, departed the Port Fisher Fertilizer Dock, where they had finished unloading overnight. She turned in the Essexville Basin, and departed for the lake. Once Harbour Fashion was clear of the waiting Algoway, the Gregory J Busch then assisted her off the Lafarge Dock so she could finally make her way out of the river.
Harbour Fashion made her first ever visit to the Saginaw River, early Monday afternoon. Assisted by the tug Gregory J. Busch, she called on the Port Fisher Fertilizer Dock in Bay City to unload. After the assist, the Gregory J. Busch headed back upriver to her home dock in Carrollton. The Harbour Fashion was expected to be outbound Tuesday morning.
June 3, 2016 The tug Zeus and barge, Robert F. Deegan, called at the Port Fisher Dock on Thursday, unloading into the Dow/Oxy pipeline. The pair were outbound on Friday. For the month of May, there were 13 commercial vessel passages on the Saginaw River. This is down from the 17 recorded in in May of 2015. It is also down from the five-year average for May, which is 16 passages and the ten-year average of 18. For the year to date, there have been a total of 18 commercial vessel passages on the Saginaw River. This is down from the 25 recorded during the same time period in 2015. This is also down from both the five-year average (22) and the ten-year average (29).
May 31, 2016 The tug Dorothy Ann, and her barge, Pathfinder, called on the Saginaw River Tuesday afternoon. Carrying a split cargo, the pair unloaded at both the Bay City and Saginaw Wirt Stone docks. They were expected to be outbound late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning.
May 15, 2016 Traffic on the Saginaw River has been steady the past three days, with the arrival of a tug/barge vessel each day. Friday saw the Olive L. Moore-Lewis J. Kuber unloading at the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City. Dorothy Ann-Pathfinder entered the river on Saturday with a split cargo, unloading at the Bay City and Saginaw Wirt Stone Docks. Sunday morning brought the Samuel de Champlain - Innovation, unloading at the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville.
May 6th & 7th, 2016 Friday morning saw the heavy lift vessel, HAPPY RANGER, calling on the Port Fisher dock in Bay City. She arrived with a cargo of wind turbine blades for a local wind farm project. After finishing her unload, HAPPY RANGER departed the dock early Saturday evening, and was headed outbound on the Saginaw River for the lake. Saturday evening also saw the arrival of the OLIVE L. MOORE - LEWIS J. KUBER, calling on the Wirt Stone Dock in Bay City, to unload. Once finished, the pair traveled upriver to the Airport Turning Basin, turned, and were outbound for the lake, early Sunday morning.
May 3rd & 4th, 2016 Saginaw was inbound on the Saginaw River on Tuesday, delivering a split cargo to the Burroughs North dock in Essexville and the Buena Vista Dock in Saginaw. After unloading, she was outbound for the lake Wednesday morning. This was Saginaw's first visit to her namesake river since 2014, when she delivered a cargo to the Buena Vista dock on June 20th. John J. Boland was inbound Wednesday afternoon, calling on the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City. The Boland was still at the dock as of 9:30pm, and was expected to be outbound later in the night. The tug Olive L. Moore, and her self unloading barge, Lewis J. Kuber, made their first visit of the Season to the Saginaw River, Wednesday afternoon. The pair traveled to the upper river, stopping at the Burroughs dock in Zilwaukee to unload. They were expected to be outbound late Wednesday or early Thursday morning.
May 2, 2016 or the month of April, there were four commercial vessel deliveries on the Saginaw River. This number is down one passage from April of 2015 and down two from the five year average of six commercial vessel passages. For total vessel passages, year to date, there have been 5. This is down 3 from the same period last year, and down 1 as compared to the five year average.
April 30, 2016 Saturday morning saw the tug Dorothy Ann, and her self unloading barge, Pathfinder, unloading at the Buena Vista dock, just above the Zilwaukee Bridge. The pair were outbound later in the day.
April 25, 2016 The 2016 shipping season continues on its slow start, with only four commercial vessel deliveries so for this season. Recent visitors were the tug Leonard M, with the barge Huron Spirit, delivering to the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City this past Saturday, and Manitowoc, delivering to the Lafarge Stone Dock in Saginaw, on April 19th. Manitowoc is the only non tug-barge vessel to transit the Saginaw River and the only vessel to travel up through the bridges and upper river to Saginaw this season.
April 5, 2016 The tug Spartan, and her tank barge, Spartan II, called on the Port Fisher Dock in Bay City early Tuesday morning, unloading at the Dow Chemical/Oxy connection, The pair were expected to be outbound later in the day. While the Commercial Shipping season started early in 2016, beginning with the arrival of the Samuel de Champlain - Innovation on March 19th, no other vessels visited the Saginaw River in March.
March 20, 2016 The 2016 shipping season is underway on the Saginaw River! The tug Samuel de Champlain, and her cement barge, Innovation, called on the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville, early late Saturday night. The pair were outbound Sunday afternoon after unloading.
March 16, 2016 Saginaw River 2015 Shipping Season Wrap-Up After years of declining commercial vessel passages on the Saginaw River, it was encouraging to see an increase in commercial shipping traffic for the 2015 season. The following is a look back at what took place along the banks of the Saginaw River during this past year: The 2015 shipping season officially started on April 9th, with the arrival of the tug Samuel de Champlain and her cement barge, Innovation. The pair called on the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville, starting the season twenty days earlier than the 2014 season opener. The 2015 season came to a close on December 23rd, when Mississagi, departed the Sargent dock in Zilwaukee. This was seven days earlier than the 2014 close, for a season lasting 228 days. For 2015, there were a total of 132 commercial vessel passages. That is 22 more than the previous season. These passages were by 27 different vessels, representing thirteen different companies, a decrease of four different vessels and one less shipping company as compared to the 2014 numbers. Looking at some of the other statistics from the 2015 season, there were 14 docks receiving cargos in 2015. This was two less than in 2014, as the GM dock in Saginaw, and the Bit-Mat dock in Bay City, did not receive any commercial vessel cargoes this season. The GM Dock typically received coal and the Bit-Mat dock liquid asphalt. The dock that saw the most traffic in 2015 was the Bay Aggregates Dock in Bay City, seeing 31 vessel deliveries, four more then 2014. Coming in second was the Wirt Stone Dock in Bay City, with 25 cargo deliveries, six more than the previous season, and the Wirt Stone Dock in Saginaw coming in third, with 22 cargo deliveries. These three docks accounted for 48% of all vessel deliveries to the Saginaw River in 2015. The top two docks, Bay Aggregates and Bay City Wirt, were top two for 2014 as well. In all, accounting for split cargos by some vessels that unloaded at two different docks on the same visit, there were 162 deliveries to the various docks along the Saginaw River. This is 41 more actual dock deliveries than in 2014. Without question, the workhorse of the Saginaw River continues to be the tug Olive L. Moore, paired with the self-unloading barge Lewis J. Kuber. The pair made 55 trips to the river, which is fourteen more trips than they made in 2014, and the most visits in a single season they have ever made to the Saginaw River. This represents 47 more visits than the next highest visitor, Algoway, who had eight. Algorail and H Lee White both had seven passages each, followed by the tug G.L. Ostrander and her cement barge, Integrity, with six. This is the ninth year in a row that the Olive L. Moore – Lewis J. Kuber have had the most passages. Over this nine year period, they have visited the Saginaw River a total of 380 times! Lower Lakes Towing/Grand River Navigation, as they have for a number of years now, logged the most visits by a fleet in 2015, with 63 vessel passages. This was four more than 2014, and was the ninth year in a row for LLT/GRN in the #1 position, accounting for 48% of the vessel passages on the Saginaw River. The next busiest fleet was the American steamship Company with 26 passages, and then in third was Algoma Central Corporation with 15. These three companies accounted for 79% of all deliveries on the Saginaw River in 2015. There were a number of vessels that were visitors to the Saginaw River in 2014, that did not make a delivery here in 2015, namely John J. Boland, Dorothy Ann – Pathfinder, Defiance – Ashtabula, Michipicoten, Robert S. Pierson, Saginaw, Everlast – Norman McCloud, Harbour Feature, and YM Saturn. The list of boats that were not visitors in 2014, but made a return to the Saginaw River in 2015 were: American Century, Buffalo, Walter J. McCarthy, Jr., and the Herbert C. Jackson. The Chem Norma made her first ever delivery to the Saginaw River in 2015. The tugs Manitou, Kimberly Anne, Kathy Lynn, and Matt Allen were also visitors. The USCG Cutter Hollyhock made visits to work aids to navigation in the Saginaw River Entrance Channel, and the tall ships Playfair, Pathfinder, Nina, and Pinta all made visits. The tug Gregory J. Busch was also up and down the Saginaw River numerous times. There were a few notable stories during 2015. Crews from the King Company continued maintenance dredging of the Saginaw River shipping channel, working the lower river, while crews from Dean Marine & Excavating worked out in the Saginaw Bay, dredging the entrance channel to the Kawkawlin River. Finally, as mentioned earlier, neither the GM dock in Saginaw nor the Bit-Mat dock in Bay City received any cargo deliveries by water this season. This is the first time since I have been logging vessel passages that this has happened. The upcoming 2016 season will hopefully be a safe and profitable one for everyone involved. Ice will not be an issue to start the season and there is almost none to be found anywhere on the Great Lakes or her rivers and bays. Hopefully we will also see some vessels that have not visited in some time, as well as a few new vessels that have never made up trip up the Saginaw River. We will also see if any maintenance dredging will continue.
November Saginaw River Report: Commercial shipping on the Saginaw River totaled 16 vessel passages for the month of November 2015. This is three more passages than for the same month in 2014, and it is equal to the five year average for November. For the year to date, there have been 128 commercial vessel passages on the Saginaw River. This is 23 more passages than last year for this time period, and four more than the five year average.
November 24-29, 2015 The Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber continues to be the workhorse of the Saginaw River, logging three visits between November 24th and 29th. The pair arrived on the 24th, delivering a split load to the Bay City and Saginaw Wirt Stone docks. They were back again on the 26th, delivering to the same two docks. On the 29th, the Moore-Kuber delivered to the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City, This was their 55th trip of the season to the Saginaw River. Also unloading on the 29th was the tug G.L. Ostrander and her cement barge, Integrity. The pair unloaded at the Lafarge Cenent dock in Essexville.
November 21, 2015 Friday evening saw the arrival of the Herbert C. Jackson on the Saginaw River, calling on the Bay Aggregates Dock in Bay City to unload. The Jackson is an infrequent visitor to the river, last here on June 1, 2010, when she also unloaded at the Bay Aggregates dock. American Century was able to come into the river a short time later, calling on the Consumers Energy Dock in Essexville to unload coal. Both vessels were outbound during the early morning hours on Saturday. Saturday afternoon saw the arrival of the Olive L. Moore-Lewis J. Kuber. The pair traveled up the ditch, to the Burroughs Materials dock in Zilwaukee.
November 13-20, 2015 On November 13th, the Olive L. Moore-Lewis J. Kuber arrived on the Saginaw River and unloaded at the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City. The pair returned on the 16th to unload at the Bay City Wirt Stone dock. November 17th saw the arrival of the Sam Laud, who called on the Bay Aggregates dock to unload. Then, back for the 3rd time in five days, the Olive L. Moore-Lewis J. Kuber returned on the 18th to unload at the Bay Aggregates Dock. This was the 51st visit for the Moore-Kuber this shipping season. American Century arrived on the Saginaw Bay on the 19th, but due to strong winds and low water levels in the Saginaw River, she anchored our there to wait for better conditions. American Century remains there as of 9am on the 20th.
November 7-10, 2015 Olive L. Moore-Lewis J. Kuber were inbound on the Saginaw River on Saturday, delivering a split cargo to the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City and the Lafarge Stone Dock in Saginaw. The tug G.L. Ostrander and the cement barge, Integrity, were also inbound on Saturday, calling on the Lafarge Cement Dock in Essexville. Monday saw the foreign flagged tanker, Larsholmen, assisted to the Port Fisher Fertilizer Dock in Bay City by the tug Gregory J. Busch. After unloading overnight, Larsholmen was again assisted by the Gregory J. Busch, turned in the Essexville Turning Basin, and was then outbound for the lake. The Busch then assisted the Ostrander-Integrity, who had been waiting at the Lafarge Dock. The pair was also turned in the Essexville Basin and then headed outbound for the lake. With the work complete, the Gregory J. Busch then headed up the Saginaw River to her home dock in Carrollton.
November 1, 2015 For the month of October, there were 13 commercial vessel passages on the Saginaw River. This is down one passage from the same month last year, and one less then the 5-year average of 14 vessel passages. For the year to date, there have been 112 commercial vessel passages on the Saginaw River. This number represents an increase of 20 passages over the same time period in 2014, and in increase of four passages over the 5-year average of 108. Passages for the last part of October included: October 17 - American Century - Consumers Energy Dock in Essexville October 18 - Olive L. Moore/Lewis J. Kuber - Bay City and Saginaw Wirt Stone Docks October 19 - Undaunted/Pere Marquette 41 - Bay Aggregates Dock in Bay City October 24 - Olive L. Moore/Lewis J. Kuber - Bay Aggregates Dock & Burroughs Dock in Zulwaukee October 26 - Cuyahoga - Buena Vista Dock in Saginaw & Lafarge Stone Dock in Saginaw October 27 - Olive L. Moore/Lewis J. Kuber - Burroughs Dock in Zilwaukee October 30 - Olive L. Moore/Lewis J. Kuber - Bay City and Saginaw Wirt Stone Docks
October 10-12, 2015 Alpena called on the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville on Saturday to unload. She was outbound early Sunday morning. Olive L. Moore - Lewis J, Kuber were inbound Monday morning, traveling up to the Lafarge stone dock in Saginaw to unload. The pair were expected to be outbound later in the day.
October 7, 2015 Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber were back again late Tuesday night, delivering a split cargo to the Bay City and Saginaw Wirt Stone docks. The pair finished their unload and were outbound early Wednesday morning. Wednesday evening saw the arrival of Algorail, headed upriver to unload at the Sargent dock in Zilwaukee.
October 3-4, 2015 Very strong sustained winds out of the Northeast caused delays for vessels trying to deliver product to Saginaw River docks. American Century arrived on the Saginaw Bay on October 2nd, but went to anchor south of the Charity Islands to wait for more favorable conditions before delivering her cargo of coal to the Consumers energy dock in Essexville. She was finally able to make the dock on the morning of October 4th. The Olive L. Moore-Lewis J. Kuber made their 40th commercial delivery to the Saginaw River on October 3rd, passing the anchored American Century and dropping a split cargo at the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City and the Buena Vista dock in Saginaw. For the month of September, there were 17 commercial vessel deliveries on the Saginaw River. This is down one delivery from the same month last year, but one more than the five year average of 16. For the year to date, there have been 99 commercial deliveries to docks along the Saginaw River. This represents 21 more than the same period during 2014 and six more than the five year average.
September 27, 2015 A pair of American Steamship Company vessels and one from Grand River Navigation/Lower Lakes Transportation called on Saginaw River Docks in the past three days. H. Lee White was first in, calling on the Burroughs North dock in Essexville on the 25th. American Mariner was next, stopping across the river from her fleet mate and unloading at the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City on the 26th. Very early on the morning of the 27th, Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber were inbound, traveling all the way up to the last commercial dock at the Sixth Street Turning Basin, and unloading at the Lafarge Stone dock in Saginaw.
September 24, 2015 The Saginaw River was busy on Thursday, with three vessels transiting the river. Algorail was the first, arriving on the 23rd and stopping at the Essexville Wirt Sand and Stone dock. and the Buena Vista dock in Saginaw. She was followed by Samuel de Champlain - Innovation, who called on the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville. Lst in was Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber, who unloaded a split cargo at the Bay City and Saginaw Wirt Stone docks. All three vessels were outbound on the 24th.
September 17, 2015 September 17th saw the Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber were outbound on the Saginaw River after unloading at the Wirt Stone dock in Saginaw earlier in the day. The pair had earlier dropped a partial cargo at the Bay City Wirt dock before heading up to Saginaw. On the 16th, the Algoway had unloaded potash at the North Star dock in Essexville.
September 3, 2015 The Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber were back on the Saginaw River, on a very rainy Thursday afternoon, calling on the Lafarge Stone dock in Saginaw. This was their 32nd trip to the Saginaw River this season. They were outbound late Thursday evening. The King Company tug, Matt Allen, was tied up at the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville Wednesday evening. King is conducting Dredging operations out in the Saginaw River Entrance Channel, near to Confined Disposal Island in the Saginaw Bay.
August 31, 2015 Commercial vessel deliveries on the Saginaw River totaled 18 for the month of August. This was one less compared to the same month last season. Looking at the long term averages, August 2015 had two less commercial vessel passages than the 5-year average and six less than the 10-year average. Looking at the 2015 shipping season to date, there have been 82 commercial vessel passages as of August 31st. This number represents a big increase over the 2014 season, when there were 60. Comparing this to the 5-year average, we again see an increase for 2015 of four commercial vessel passages. The 10-year average however comes in at 104 passages for the season through the end of August, so although traffic is increasing, we are still behind where we once were.
August 23, 2015 The tanker Chem Norma arrived on the Saginaw River Sunday afternoon, calling on the Port Fisher Fertilizer dock in Bay City to unload. She was assisted by the tug Manitou.
August 17, 2015 The H. Lee White called on the Saginaw River early Sunday morning, unloading at the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City. Later in the morning, American Courage was inbound with a split cargo. She dropped a partial load at the Wirt Stone dock in Bay City, then continued upriver to finish unloading at the Wirt Stone dock in Saginaw. The third vessel of Sunday, Algoway, arrived and traveled up to the Sargent dock in Zilwaukee to unload salt. The H. Lee White was outbound later on Sunday, with the American Courage and Algoway both outbound early Monday morning.
July 16 - 25, 2015 Since my last post, there have been a number of vessels calling on the Saginaw River: July 16: -Undaunted - Pere Marquette 41 unloading at the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City. July 17: -Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber unloading a split cargo for the Bay City and Saginaw Wirt Stone docks. July 20: -H. Lee White unloading at the Burroughs North dock in Essexville. -Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber unloading a split cargo for the Bay City and Saginaw Wirt Stone docks. July 22: -Indiana Harbor unloading at the consumers energy dock in Essexville July 23: -Manitowoc unloading a split cargo at Bay Aggregates in Bay City and the Buena Vista dock in Saginaw. -Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber unloading a split cargo at Bay Aggregates in Bay City and the Buena Vista dock in Saginaw. July 25: Manitowoc unloading a split cargo for the Bay City and Saginaw Wirt Stone docks.
July 12-14, 2015 The G.L. Ostrander, and her cement barge, Integrity, called on the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville on Saturday. The pair were outbound for the lake on Sunday, after unloading. Monday saw the arrival of Mississagi, who traveled up to the Sargent dock in Zilwaukee to unload. She was outbound early Tuesday morning.
Indiana Harbor was inbound Wednesday morning, calling on the Consumers Energy dock in Essexville. She was expected to be outbound later in the evening, backing out to the area of Light 12 in the Saginaw Bay to turn, and head for the lake.
July 4-7, 2015 The Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber arrived on the Saginaw River on July 4th. The pair waited at the Essexville Sand & Stone dock for the Bay City Fireworks Celebration to end and for the security zone on the Saginaw River to be lifted. They then unloaded at the Bay City and Saginaw Wirt Stone docks. On July 5th, Algorail arrived to unload at the Buena Vista dock in Saginaw, and on July 7th, the Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber were back again, this time unloading at the Lafarge Stone dock in Saginaw.
July 2, 2015 There were two vessels calling on the Saginaw River Thursday morning. American Mariner was first, calling on the Bay City Wirt Stone dock to unload. Once finished , she backed from the dock and out of the Saginaw River, turning around out in the Saginaw Bay. The Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber were the second in, arriving with a split cargo for the bay Aggregates dock in Bay City and the Buena Vista dock in Saginaw. The pair were back outbound for the lake late in the evening.
July 1, 2015 Commercial shipping on the Saginaw River has been on the rebound so far in 2015. For the month of June, there were 20 commercial vessel passages. That is six more than during the same month last year, when there were 14, and two more than the five year average. For the year to date, there have been 45 commercial vessel passages on the Saginaw River. This number is twenty more than in 2014, when there were only 25, and five more than the five year average. July has started out strong as well with two deliveries so far in the first two days of July.
June 29-July 1, 2015 There have been a number of vessel passages on the Saginaw River in the past three days. Monday saw the arrival of two vessels. Manitowoc made her first visit of the season to the Saginaw River, arriving with a split cargo for the Bay City and Saginaw Wirt Stone Docks. Later in the day the Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber called on the Burroughs Materials Dock in Zilwaukee. On Tuesday, the tug Spartan and tank barge Spartan II called on the Port Fisher Fertilizer dock in Bay City, unloading for Dow/Oxy. Wednesday saw the arrival of the sailing vessels Nina and Pinta, docking at Veteran's Memorial Park in the Downtown Bay City Area. The replica's of the famous vessels they represent will be in Bay City through the holiday weekend and open for tours.
June 26, 2015 H. Lee White arrived on the Saginaw River, early Friday morning, calling on the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City. She was outbound during the late afternoon, after unloading. Alpena was inbound early Friday evening, calling on the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville. She was expected to be outbound on Saturday.
June 17-24, 2015 The H. Lee White called on the Wirt Stone dock in Bay City on June 19th to unload. There were two vessels calling on Saginaw River docks on June 22nd. The American Integrity called on the Consumers Energy dock in Essexville, while the tug Samuel de Champlain and cement barge Innovation, called on the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville.
June 10, 2015 Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber were back again on Wednesday with a split cargo for the Bay City and Saginaw Wirt Stone docks. The pair were back outbound Wednesday evening.
June 7-9, 2015 The tug Leonard M., pushing the barge Huron Spirit, called on the Bay Aggregates dock on Sunday to unload. This was their second visit to Bay Aggregate this season. The next day saw Algorail make a rare visit to the Bay Aggregates dock to unload. She was outbound late Monday night. Early Tuesday morning saw the arrival of the tug Zeus and tank barge Robert F. Deegan. The pair called on the Port Fisher Dock to unload for Dow/Oxy. Zeus-Deegan were outbound Tuesday night.
June 4-5, 2015 The Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber called on the Saginaw River, Thursday, carrying a split cargo. The pair dropped a partial cargo at the Wirt Stone dock in Bay City, before continuing upriver to finish unloading at the Wirt Stone dock in Saginaw. The Moore-Kuber were outbound for the lake Friday morning. Friday evening saw Algoway inbound on the Saginaw River, traveling up to the Buena Vista dock to unload. She was expected to be back outbound sometime on Saturday.
June 1, 2015 The Walter J. McCarthy, Jr. called on the Saginaw River, Monday morning, stopping at the Consumers Energy dock in Essexville to unload coal. The McCarthy, Jr. did not call on the Saginaw River during the 2014 season as coal to Consumers was delivered primarily by rail last year. For the month of May, the Saginaw River saw 17 commercial vessel deliveries. This number is up from 9 during the same time period in 2014. For the year to date, there have been 25 commercial vessel passages. That is more than twice as many as in 2014, when there were only 11 by June 1st. If you look at the five year averages, May 2015 is above the average of 15, and for the year to date, 2015 is also above the five year average of 22 vessel passages, While the extended ice season in 2014 is partly to blame for the low early season numbers last year, hopefully the demand for materials is on the rise, in turn accounting for a greater number of vessel passages in 2015.
May 27, 2015 The tug Samuel de Champlain, pushing the cement barge Innovation, called on the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville on Wednesday. The pair was expected to be outbound early on Thursday after unloading. The Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber were inbound late Wednesday night, calling on the Wirt Stone dock in Bay City.
May 25, 2015 The Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber were back on the Saginaw River early Monday morning. The pair stopped at the Burroughs dock in Zilwaukee and the Lafarge Stone dock in Saginaw. Also inbound on Monday was the tug Leonard M., pushing the barge Huron Spirit. They called on the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City. Late Monday evening, Algoway was inbound, headed upriver to unload at the Sargent Dock in Zliwaukee.
May 17, 2015 The Harbour Fountain arrived at the Port Fisher Fertilizer dock, in Bay City, to unload early on Sunday. Arriving with her was the tug Kathy Lynn, to assist with turning in the Essexville Turning Basin at her departure. The Harbour Fountain is the first "saltie" if the season to call on the Saginaw River. The Buffalo was also inbound on Sunday, calling on the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City to unload. Both vessels were expected to be outbound early Monday.
May 13, 2015 Algorail was inbound on the Saginaw River, Wednesday morning, calling on the Sargent Dock in Zilwaukee to unload. She was expected to be outbound later in the evening.
May 11, 2015 Monday saw the arrival of the Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber, who unloaded at the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City. The pair were outbound for the lake during the early evening hours. The H. Lee White was inbound late Monday afternoon, calling on the Burroughs North dock in Essexville. She was expected to be outbound late Monday night or early Tuesday morning.
April 30, 2015 The Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber closed out the month of April on the Saginaw River this afternoon, calling on the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City to unload. The pair was outbound for the lake later in the day. The month ended with eight commercial vessel deliveries, six more than April of 2014, when there were two. You could blame the extreme ice conditions last year for the slow start, but looking back a year earlier, there were only three vessel passages in April of 2013, so however you look at it, 2015 looks to be off to a fairly encouraging start.
April 27-28, 2015 The Olive L. Moore-Lewis J. Kuber called on the Saginaw River on April 27th, traveling all the way to the end of the shipping channel, to unload at the Lafarge Stone dock in Saginaw. The pair were outbound for the lake early in the morning on the 28th. Inbound late in the evening on the 27th was the G.L. Ostrander - Integrity, calling on the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville. They were expected to be outbound later in the day on the 28th.
April 19, 2015 Algoway called on the Saginaw River on Sunday, traveling upriver to unload at the Buena Vista dock in Saginaw. She completed her unload and was back outbound for the lake during the early evening hours. The Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber made their first visit to the Saginaw River on Sunday calling on the Wirt Stone dock in Bay City. There pair were unloading there Sunday night.
April 15, 2015 The tug G.L. Ostrander and cement barge Integrity arrived at the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville, Wednesday morning. After unloading, the pair were expected to be outbound early Thursday morning.
April 11, 2015 Saturday morning saw the Samuel de Champlain - Innivation outbound from the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville after unloading. Inbound during the late afternoon was the tug Spartan and tank barge Spartan II, calling on the Port Fisher dock in Bay City. The pair are expected to be be outbound during the day Sunday.
April 9, 2015 The tug Samuel de Champlain, pushing the cement barge, Innovation, delivered the first commercial cargo to the Saginaw River, starting the 2015 season. The pair called on the Lafarge Cement Dock in Essexville, late Thursday morning., to unload. They are expected to be outbound on Friday.
December 30, 2014 Alpena arrived on the Saginaw River early Tuesday morning, calling on the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville to unload. She was expected to be outbound early Wednesday.
December 26, 2014 Tug Spartan, tank barge Spartan II, on the Saginaw River today, offloading at the Port Fisher Fertilizer Dock in Bay City. 12/26/14. The pair is the first commercial delivery since 12/9 when the G.L. Ostrander - Integrity called on the Lafarge Stone dock in Essexville.
December 19, 2014 The tug Kimberly Anne and all of the Dean Marine & Excavating dredge equipment have moved from the seawall in Veterans Memorial Park into the City of Bay City owned, Liberty Harbor Marina, where it appears they are going to spend the winter and begin dredging operations in the spring.
December 6, 2014 Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber called on the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City on Saturday. The pair unloaded and were then outbound for the lake during the evening on Saturday. USCG Cutter Hollyhock continued work on the Saginaw Bay, replacing summer buoys, marking the Saginaw River Entrance channel, with unlighted winter marks. Hollyhock departed the area and was headed for Lake Huron just before the Moore-Kuber
December 5, 2014 USCG Cutter Hollyhock arrived on the Saginaw Bay, Thursday afternoon, to work AToN in the Saginaw River Entrance Channel. Hollyhock was again working AToN during the day Friday.
December 2, 2014 Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber were inbound on the Saginaw River, early Tuesday morning, calling on the Burroughs dock in Zilwaukee. After unloading, the pair were outbound for the lake, reaching the Saginaw Bay late in the afternoon. For the month of November, there were 13 commercial vessel deliveries to docks along the Saginaw River. This is down seven deliveries from November 2013, when there were twenty. It is also three deliveries below the five year average of sixteen. For the year to date, there have been 105 commercial deliveries on the Saginaw River. This is 28 fewer than the same time period in 2013 and 21 fewer than the five year average of 126 over the same time period.
November 28, 2014 American Courage was outbound for the Saginaw River early Friday morning after unloading at the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City. Inbound late Friday morning was Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber, calling on the Wirt Stone dock in Bay City. The pair were expected to be outbound late Friday night or early Saturday morning.
November 27, 2014 Thanksgiving Day saw the American Courage inbound on the Saginaw River, calling on the Bay Aggregates Dock in Bay City. She is expected to be outbound early Friday morning.
November 20, 2014 Manitowoc was inbound on the Saginaw River Thursday morning, calling on the GM Dock in Saginaw to unload. She was back outbound for the lake early Thursday evening. Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber were inbound Thursday afternoon carrying a split load. The pair dropped a partial cargo at the Wirt Stone dock in Bay City, then continued upriver to finish unloading at the Wirt Stone dock in Saginaw. The Moore-Kuber were expected to be outbound early Friday morning.
November 18, 2014 The Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber were back on the Saginaw River Tuesday morning, with the pair traveling all the way to the end of the commercial shipping channel, to unload at the Lafarge Stone dock in Saginaw. The Moore-Kuber finished unloading by the late afternoon and were outbound for the lake Tuesday evening.
November 17, 2014 Mississagi was outbound from the Saginaw River early Monday morning, after unloading overnight at the Sargent Dock in Zilwaukee. Ryba Marine Contracting has been dredging in the lower Saginaw River for the past month and a half, from the Confined Disposal Island in the Saginaw Bay up to where they currently are working in Downtown Bay City, between the Veteran's Memorial Bridge and Liberty Bridge. The tug Thomas R. Morrish has been running mud scows upriver to the new Confined Disposal Site located near Cheboyganing Creek on the Bay/Saginaw County line.
November 16, 2014 A snowy morning on the Saginaw River saw the Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber outbound late Sunday morning after unloading in Saginaw overnight. The pair passed their fleet mate, Mississagi, who was inbound to unload salt at the Sargent dock in Zilawukee. Mississagi also unloaded salt at Sargent on Friday. She was expected to be outbound late Sunday night.
August 30, 2014 It has been twelve days since the last commercial vessel passage on the Saginaw River, when the Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber had visited the Bay City and Saginaw Wirt Stone Docks on August 18th, before the arrival of two vessels, Saturday, August 30th. The Samuel de Champlain - Innovation called on the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville to unload during the morning hours, followed by the H. Lee White, who called on the Burroughs North dock in Essexville to unload. Both vessels were expected to be outbound by early Sunday morning.
August 16, 2014 Algorail was back on the Saginaw River Thursday, carrying another load of salt for the Sargent dock in Zilwaukee. She was outbound later that day. Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber called on the river Saturday, unloading at both the Bay City & Saginaw Wirt Stone docks. The pair were outbound Saturday evening.
August 9 & 10, 2014 Traffic on the Saginaw River was reminiscent of days about 10 years ago, as there were four vessels moving in the river on Sunday. Algorail was outbound after unloading at the Sagrent dock in Zilwaukee. Robert S. Pierson was outbound after unloading at the Buena Vista dock in Saginaw. Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber was outbound after unloading at the Burroughs dock in Zilwaukee. Inbound on Sunday was American Courage, calling on that Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City. The tug Zeus and her tank barge, Robert F. Deegan, were outbound late Saturday night after unloading at the Dow Chemical dock in Bay City.
August 7, 2014 Alpena was outbound from the Saginaw River on Thursday after unloading at the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville. Manitowoc was inbound during the early afternoon, calling on the GM dock in Saginaw to unload. She was outbound later in the evening. Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber were inbound during the late afternoon, stopping at the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City to unload.
August 6, 2014 Algorail was inbound on the Saginaw River on Monday, traveling upriver to the Sargent dock in Zilwaukee to unload. She was outbound later in the day. Alpena arrived on Wednesday and was unloading at the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville.
July 21-23, 2014 The tug Olive L. Moore, with the barge, Lewis J. Kuber, called on the Saginaw River with a split cargo on Monday. The pair dropped part of their cargo at the Wirt Stone Dock in Bay City, before heading upriver to finish unloading at the Wirt Stone Dock in Saginaw. Wednesday morning saw the arrival of the tug Undaunted and barge Pere Marquette 41. The pair called on the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City to unload, and were outbound for the lake later in the afternoon.
July 19, 2014 In the last week on the Saginaw River, there have been four commercial vessel passages. Mississagi was inbound on Tuesday, calling on the Wirt Sand and Stone dock in Essexville to unload. Friday saw the arrival of three vessels. The Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber arrived with a cargo for the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City. Algoway traveled to the upper Saginaw River to deliver the first salt cargo of the season to the Sargent dock in Zilwaukee, and the G.L. Ostrander - Integrity called on the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville.
July 9, 2014 After spending the night at the Burroughs North dock in Essexville, Manitowoc proceeded upriver Tuesday morning, stopping at the GM dock in Saginaw to unload. Manitowoc was outbound from the Saginaw River early Wednesday afternoon after unloading at the GM Dock in Saginaw. Inbound Wednesday evening was the Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber, calling on the Wirt Stone dock in Bay City to unload.
July 7, 2014 The tug Zeus and her tank barge, Robert F. Deegan, called on the Dow Chemical dock in Bay City on Sunday. The pier completed their unload and were outbound for the lake Monday afternoon. Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber were inbound on the Saginaw River early Monday morning, calling on the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City. The pair were back outbound later in the afternoon. Manitowoc entered the Saginaw River Monday afternoon, tying up at the Burroughs North Dock in Essexville. She did not immediately put out her boom and it was still in the cradle hours after arriving.
June 29, 2014 Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber called on the Saginaw River Sunday afternoon. The pair stopped briefly at the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville as the Saginaw River was closed to vessel traffic between Veteran's Memorial Bridge and Liberty Bridge due to the annual "River Roar" tunnel boat races. Once the river was opened to traffic, the Moore-Kuber traveled upriver to unload at the Burroughs dock in Zilwaukee.
June 24 - 28, 2014 Tuesday, June 24, saw the arrival of the Larsholmen, calling on the Port Fisher Fertilizer dock in Bay City. She was assisted by the tug Manitou, who had arrived on the 23rd and was standing by. Wednesday, June 25 saw the arrival of two vessels. Alpena called on the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville and Algoway to the North Star dock in Essexville. This was the first visit by each vessel to the Saginaw River this season.
June 10, 2014 The saltwater tanker, Harbour Feature, arrived on the Saginaw River Monday morning, calling on the Port Fisher Fertilizer dock to unload. She had finished by Tuesday morning, and with the assistance of the tug Manitou, turned in the Essexville turning basin and headed outbound for the lake. This is the second visit by a saltwater vessel to the Saginaw River in the past week. Manitou returned to the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville and tied up there.
June 5, 2014 Sam Laud called on the Saginaw River on Wednesday, unloading at the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City. The Laud was outbound for the lake later in the morning. Thursday morning saw the arrival of the YM Saturn. Assisted by the tug Manitou, the Saturn tied up at the Port Fisher Fertilizer dock in Bay City to unload. Manitou remained in the area, tying up at the Lafarge Cement dock, standing by to assist the YM Saturn from the dock when finished unloading.
June 3, 2014 The Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber were inbound on the Saginaw River on Tuesday, traveling upriver to unload at the Buena Vista dock in Saginaw. The pair finished their unload and were back outbound for the lake later in the evening. The tug Manitou also arrived overnight, tying up at the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville. Manitou is on hand to assist the YM Saturn, who is scheduled to arrive in the next few day to unload at the Port Fisher Fertilizer Dock. The slow start to the Great Lakes shipping season was also evident on the Saginaw River. For the month of May, there were nine commercial vessel passages on the Saginaw River. That is only half of the total from last season, when there were 18 during the same period. It is also below the five year average of 12. For total passages, year to date, there were 11. That is 10 less then last season and 12 less than the five year average of 23.
June 1, 2014 The tug Undaunted and Barge Pere Marquette 41 called on the Saginaw River Sunday morning, traveling upriver to the Wirt Stone dock in Saginaw. The pair completed their unload and were outbound for the lake late Sunday night.
May 25, 2014 Indiana Harbor was inbound on the Saginaw River early Sunday morning, calling on the Consumers Energy dock in Essexville. After unloading her coal cargo, Indiana Harbor back from the dock and out into the Saginaw Bay, turning at Light 12 and heading for the lake. The tug Gregory J. Busch was outbound from the Busch Marine dock, Sunday morning, pushing a deck barge and headed for the lake.
May 23, 2014 The Saginaw River saw plenty of action on Friday as there were a number of vessel movements to start the holiday weekend. After unloading overnight, the tug Samuel de Champlain, and her cement barge, Innovation, departed the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville and met the waiting tug Manitou in the Essexville Turning Basin. Manitou assisted getting the pair turned around and headed back out to the lake. Next, after spending the past nine plus days tied up at the Wirt Stone Dock in Bay City due to strong river currents, the tug Olive L. Moore and her barge, Lewis J. Kuber, departed the dock and made their way up to the Airport Turning Basin. The tug Manitou then assisted in getting the Moore and Kuber spun around and on their way towards open water. One finished turning the vessels, Manitou departed the Saginaw River and headed for home. Inbound on Friday was the Dorothy Ann-Pathfinder, who called on the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City to unload. The pair were expected to be outbound later in the day.
May 21, 2014 The tug Manitou arrived on the Saginaw River on Tuesday, tying up at the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville. She is here to assist the Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber in getting turned, so the pair can finally depart after being tied up at Bay City Wirt for over a week, due to strong currents in the river. The tug Zeus and tank barge Robert F. Deegan were back again, arrived at the Dow Chemical dock in Bay City during the afternoon on Wednesday. The pair were at the same dock on the 16th.
May 18, 2014 The tug Zeus and her tank barge, Robert F. Deegan, were outbound from the Dow Chemical dock on Saturday. The pair had arrived to unload on Friday. The tug Gregory J. Busch was outbound from the Saginaw River Saturday afternoon. The Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber remained tied up at the Wirt Stone Dock in Bay City as of late Sunday night. Strong currents in the Saginaw River are preventing the pair from turning safely and heading outbound for the lake.
May 14, 2014 The Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber called on the Saginaw River on Tuesday, stopping at the Wirt Stone Dock in Bay City. The pair remained there Wednesday night with the boom in the cradle and no unloading going on. American Integrity called on the Consumers Energy Dock in Essexville on Wednesday, unloading coal. She backed from the dock during the evening and turned around at Light 12 before heading outbound for the lake.
May 5, 2014 The U.S.C.G. Cutter Alder arrived on the Saginaw Bay Monday afternoon and began working AToN, placing lighted buoys in the Saginaw River Entrance Channel. This job is usually handled by U.S.C.G. Cutter Hollyhock, but she has been busy, tasked with icebreaking duties.
May 2, 2014 Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber made a return visit to the Saginaw River on Friday, this time with a split cargo for the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City and for the Buena Vista dock in Saginaw. After unloading, the pair were outbound for the lake late Friday night.
May 1, 2014 With the start to the 2014 commercial shipping season on the Saginaw River one of the latest on record, the first passage not coming until April 29th, there were only two passages recorded for the month. This is below the five year average of nine passages at this point of the season. The extreme ice conditions on the Great Lakes have played a huge part in the late start of the season and in the decrease in the number of passages. Ice conditions in fact are still affecting commercial shipping in general and will for weeks to come.
April 30, 2014 Mississagi was outbound from the Saginaw River, early Wednesday morning, after unloading on Tuesday at the Buena Vista dock in Saginaw
April 29, 2014 The 2014 commercial shipping season finally got underway on the Saginaw River, with the arrival of two vessels on Tuesday. The Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber were the first arrival, calling on the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City. The pair arrived just after midnight and were back outbound before 9am. Next in was Mississagi, traveling to the upper river to unload at the Buena Vista dock in Saginaw. Mississagi arrived at the dock shortly after 9am. She remained tied up at there late Tuesday night. The Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber were scheduled to load at Cedarville and return to the Saginaw River with a split cargo for Bay Aggregates and the Buena Vista docks.
April 12, 2014 The Saginaw River is still awaiting the first commercial vessel delivery of the 2014 shipping season, but even with all of the delays and troubles across the Great Lakes due to ice; it is not unusual to not have a commercial vessel passage at this point of the year. Over the past nine seasons, here are the dates for the first commercial vessel passage on the Saginaw River: 2013 – April 16 2012 – April 2 2011 – April 12 2010 – March 31 2009 – April 18 2008 – March 27 2007 – March 25 2006 – March 26 2005 – March 28 The U.S. Coast Guard has twice scheduled a break out of the Saginaw River Entrance Channel and has then cancelled it both times due to assets being needed elsewhere. Currently, the Saginaw River is ice free, and at the mouth of the river, the shipping channel is open water out to at least the Confined Disposal Island.
December 19, 2013 The USGC Cutter Bristol Bay escorted the tug Samuel de Champlain, and her cement barge, Innovation, into the Saginaw River on Thursday. Bristol Bay broke the ice in the shipping channel then proceeded to open up the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville and the Essexville turning basin before heading back outbound for the lake Thursday afternoon. The Samuel de Champlain and Innovation were at Lafarge unloading through the day and were expected to be outbound early Friday morning.
December 10, 2013 The tug Gregory J. Busch was outbound from the Saginaw River, early Tuesday morning, breaking a path through ice on the river and into Saginaw Bay, to allow safe passage of two inbound vessels. The tug & barge combo of Olive L. Moore-Lewis J. Kuber was the first in. The pair stopped at the Wirt Stone dock in Bay City for a partial unload, then continued upriver to finish unloading at the Wirt Stone dock in Saginaw. Following closely behind was the H. Lee White, who called on the Consumers Energy dock in Essexville to unload coal. This was a somewhat surprising delivery as the majority of coal is brought to Consumers is by American Steamship 1000' vessels. The White was outbound early Tuesday evening backing from the dock and out to open water in the Saginaw Bay to turn and head for the lake.
December 7, 2013 The Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber were outbound from the Saginaw River, late Saturday afternoon, after unloading at the Wirt Stone dock in Saginaw. U.S.C.G. Cutter Hollyhock was also outbound late Saturday. Hollyhock arrived on Friday, spending the night at the Consumers Energy Dock in Essexville. She had been working AToN in the Saginaw River Entrance Channel.
December 1, 2013 Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber were the first visitors of December to make a delivery to a Saginaw River dock. The pair traveled upriver Sunday afternoon, calling on the GM dock in Saginaw. They were expected to be outbound late in the evening or early Monday morning. For the month of November, there were 20 commercial cargo deliveries/vessel passages on the Saginaw River, an increase of three over the same time period last season and three more than the five year average. For the year to date, there have been 133 commercial cargo deliveries/vessel passages. This represents an increase of six deliveries more than the same period last season, but four less than the five year average.
The Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber arrived on the Saginaw River early Friday morning, carrying a split cargo for the Bay City and Saginaw Wirt Stone docks. The pair were upbound in the ice that has formed on the Saginaw River, headed for Saginaw Wirt, around 9am Friday. The H. Lee White was inbound early in the afternoon Friday, bound for the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City. Both the Moore-Kuber and H. Lee White were outbound Friday evening. The Sloman Hermes, with assistance from the tug Gregory J. Busch, entered the Saginaw River and called on the Port Fisher Fertilizer Dock in Bay City. This is only the second delivery to this dock by water. The Hermes was expected to be outbound sometime on Saturday.
November 26, 2013 Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber were inbound on the Saginaw River, Tuesday morning, delivering a split cargo for the Bay City and the Saginaw Wirt Stone Docks. After unloading, the Olive L. refueled at the Burroughs dock in Zilwaukee and then the pair departed for the lake, late Tuesday afternoon.
November 23-25, 2013 The Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber called on the Saginaw River on Sunday, unloading at the Wirt Stone Dock in Saginaw. The pair were outbound later in the day. Monday saw the arrival of the Calumet, unloading a split cargo between the Burroughs North dock in Essexville and the Wirt Stone dock in Bay City. She turned of the Wirt dock in the Wirt basin and was outbound Monday night. The G.L. Ostrander - Integrity arrived at the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville, early Monday morning, and were expected to be outbound by late evening or early Tuesday morning.
November 22, 2013 The Talassa Desgagnes, unloaded liquefied Asphalt overnight at the Bit-Mat dock in Bay City. She was outbound for the lake Friday morning. This was the first time since the Bit-Mat dock opened a number of years ago, that product was brought in by a tanker, rather than a tug/tank barge combo. The tug Gregory J. Busch was inbound Friday afternoon, called in her home dock in Carrollton.
November 21, 2013 The Thalassa Desgagnes arrived on the Saginaw River Thursday morning. She initially turned in the Essexville basin and was off the Port Fisher Fertilizer dock. She is now backed into the slip at Bay Aggregates in Bay City. The tug Gregory J. Busch was outbound for the lake, rounding the tip of the thumb and heading down Lake Huron.
November 20, 2013 Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber called on the Saginaw River on Wednesday, carrying a split cargo for the Bay Aggregates Dock in Bay City and the Buena Vista dock in Saginaw. They pair were expected to be back outbound late in the evening or early Thursday morning.
November 19, 2013 American Century arrived at the front range of the Saginaw River, late Tuesday morning. She called on the Consumers Energy Dock in Essexville, unloading her cargo of coal through the day. The American Century was expected to back from the dock, turn at Light 12 and be outbound for the lake, late Tuesday evening.
November 17, 2013 Calumet arrived on Saturday morning, calling on the Burroughs North dock in Essexville, to unload. She was followed a short time later by the Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber, who traveled upriver to unload at the Saginaw Wirt Stone dock. Both were able to finish unloading and make it out of the Saginaw River before the storm front came in and high southerly winds dropped water levels to an unsafe level.
November 9 & 10, 2013 Manistee called on the Saginaw River early Saturday morning, traveling up to the Lafarge Stone dock in Saginaw to unload. The tug Spartan and barge Spartan II were also inbound, calling on the Dow Chemical dock in Bay City. Manistee was outbound late Saturday night, while Spartan - Spartan II was outbound Sunday afternoon. Sunday evening, Saginaw departed the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City and headed for the lake. Saginaw was brought into the Saginaw River on Wednesday, towed by the tug Manitou. With repairs completed, Saginaw is on her way to her original destination.
November 5 & 6, 2013 American Century arrived on the Saginaw River, early Tuesday morning, to unload coal at the Consumers Energy dock in Essexville. She backed from the during the late afternoon, turned at Light 12 and was headed outbound for the lake. Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber were also inbound on Tuesday, heading upbound for Zilwaukee. The pair were outbound from the Burroughs dock early in the evening. Just to add more information about the visit from the saltie, Elevit, on Sunday, while she was tied up at the Dow Chemical dock, she was actually unloading her cargo to a new fertilizer facility. Known as the Port Fisher Fertilizer dock, this was the first cargo delivered there by water, instead of rail. Fisher is also the parent company of the Bay Aggregates dock, which is located right next to the new fertilizer facility. There is another cargo expected here during November. The tug Manitou was inbound for the Saginaw River this afternoon towing the M/V Saginaw close behind, dead ship. Saginaw experienced mechanical issues and was towed to the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City for repairs. The Captain of the tug Manitou effortlessly maneuvered Saginaw into the narrow slip at Bay Aggregates around 2pm this afternoon. It is hoped she will be repaired and headed for the lakes before the weekend is over. Saginaw has a cargo of wheat on board.
November 1, 2013 At the end of October, there were 13 commercial vessel deliveries on the Saginaw River. This was down by one as compared to last year and represented the fewest deliveries October over the past five years. The five year average is seventeen. For the year to date, there have been 113 commercial vessel deliveries, up three from the same period in 2012. The five year average for this date is 120 vessel deliveries.
October 27, 2013 Traffic has been very slow on the Saginaw River the past few weeks. With the first commercial deliveries since October 20th, the Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber and Indiana Harbor were both recent visitors. The Moore - Kuber arrived with a split cargo on Saturday, unloading at both the Bay Aggregates Dock in Bay City and the Buena Vista Dock in Saginaw. The pair were outbound early Sunday morning. Indiana Harbor arrived on Sunday, unloading at the Consumers Energy Dock in Essexville. She was outbound later in the evening.
October 20, 2013 Fleetmates Calumet and Manitowoc both called on the Saginaw River on Sunday. Calumet unloaded at the Burroughs North dock in Essexville, while Manitowoc called on the Wirt Stone Dock in Bay City to unload. Both vessels were outbound later in the day Sunday.
October 15, 2013 After six days of inactivity on the Saginaw River, two vessels called on docks along her banks Tuesday evening. Alpena was the first to arrive, calling on the Lafarge Cement Dock in Essexville to unload. She was followed a short time later by the tug Undaunted and her barge, Pere Marquette 41, who called on the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City to unload. Both Alpena and Undaunted/PM 41 were expected to be outbound on Wednesday.
October 9, 2013 Buffalo called on the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City on Wednesday to unload. She was back outbound for the lake very early Thursday morning.
September 30 through October 8th There were a number of vessel passages on the Saginaw River in the past week. Algoway unloaded at the North Star dock in Essexville on Sept. 30th. On October 1st, Manitowoc unloaded at an unknown Saginaw River dock. Indiana Harbor unloaded at the Consumers Energy dock in Essexville on October 5th. On October 6th, Alpena unloaded at the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville and the Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber delivered a split cargo to the Burroughs North dock in Essexville and the GM dock in Saginaw. Commercial vessel deliveries to the Saginaw River totaled 16 during the month of September. This is five more deliveries then during the same period in 2012 and just one less than the five year average of 17. Looking at year to date numbers, through the end of September 2013, there were 100 commercial vessel passages on the Saginaw River. Four more than the same period in 2012 and just three below the five year average of 103.
September 23, 2013 Manitowoc was inbound the Saginaw River early Monday morning, unloading at the GM dock in Saginaw. She was outbound later in the day. Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber were also inbound on Monday, carrying a split cargo for the Bay City and Saginaw Wirt Stone docks. The pair finished unloading and were outbound late Monday
September 22, 2013 Indiana Harbor called on the Consumers Energy dock in Essexville, early Sunday morning, to unload coal. She back from the dock later in the afternoon, turned at Light 12 and headed outbound for the lake. Samuel de Champlain - Innovation were inbound Sunday night, calling on the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville to unload. The pair were expected to be outbound Monday morning.
September 20, 2013 Friday morning saw the tug Undaunted and her barge, Pere Marquette 41, called on the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City to unload. The pair had finished by early in the evening and backed from the slip, headed for the lake. Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber were back again, this time with a split cargo for the Bay City Wirt Stone Dock and the GM dock in Saginaw. The pair were expected to be outbound early Saturday morning.
September 18, 2013 Algorail called on the Saginaw River on Tuesday, unloading at the Sargent dock in Zilwaukee. She was back outbound late Tuesday afternoon. Wednesday saw the Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber arrive with a split cargo for the Burroughs North dock in Essexville and the Lafarge Stone Dock in Saginaw. The pair finished unloading and were outbound for the lake Wednesday afternoon.
September 14, 2013 Mississagi was inbound the Saginaw River Saturday morning, traveling upriver to unload at the Sargent Stone Dock in Zilwaukee. She was headed back outbound for the lake during the late afternoon.
September 9, 2013 American Integrity was inbound on the Saginaw Bay, early Monday morning, headed for the Consumers Energy dock in Essexville to unload. Once finished, she backed from the dock and out to Light 12, before turning around and heading for the lake. American Integrity was outbound by 9am Monday.
August 2013 Totals For the month of August, there were 21 commercial vessel deliveries on the Saginaw River. This is up by six over the same period last year and right on par with the five year average of 21 passages for August. For the year to date, there have been 84 vessel passages. This is only one passage less than the same period last season. Compared to the five year average it is two passages less. It appears shipping traffic has leveled out on the Saginaw River after the continual decreases year after year. While it is encouraging, the deliveries are still a far cry from what they were just 8 to 10 years ago.
August 23 to September 1, 2013 I have finally caught up on the passages I missed while on vacation. Here are the passages from August 23rd until September 1st: 8/23 - Olive L. Moore/Lewis J. Kuber - Essexville Wirt Sand and Stone dock & the Saginaw Wirt Dock 8/24 - Manitowoc - Bay City Wirt Dock 8/25 - Olive L. Moore/Lewis J. Kuber - Bay Aggregates Dock. 8/26 - Calumet - GM Dock 8/26 - American Integrity - Consumers Energy Dock 8/27 - Olive L. Moore/Lewis J. Kuber - Bay Aggregates Dock 8/30 - Olive L. Moore/Lewis J. Kuber - Bay City Wirt Dock & Saginaw Wirt Dock 9/1 - Olive L. Moore/Lewis J. Kuber - Bay Aggregates Dock
August 19, 2013 The Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber called on the Saginaw River Monday morning, delivering a split cargo. The pair stopped first at the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City for a partial unload, then continued upriver to finish at the Buena Vista Dock in Saginaw to finish. Thee Moore-Kuber were outbound Monday evening.
August 11, 2013 Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber were inbound on the Saginaw River on Saturday, carrying a split cargo. The pair backed into the Bay Aggregates slip in Bay City for a partial unload, then continued upriver to finish at the Buena Vista Dock in Saginaw. The Moore-Kuber were outbound early Sunday morning. Manitowoc was inbound early Sunday, unloading at the GM dock in Saginaw. She was outbound early Sunday evening.
August 8, 2013 Mississagi was inbound on the Saginaw River Thursday afternoon, traveling up to the Sargent dock in Zilwaukee to unload. She was expected to be outbound late Thursday night or early Friday morning.
August 4,5,& 6, 2013 On August 4th, the duo of Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber called on the Saginaw river with a split cargo. The pair unloaded at the Burroughs North dock in Essexville and the Lafarge Stone dock in Saginaw. On Monday the 5th, the tug Defiance and barge Ashtabula called on the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City to unload. The tug Gregory J. Busch, pushing a deck barge, was outbound from the river on Monday. Tuesday the 6th saw the arrival of the Samuel de Champlain - Innovation, who unloaded at the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville and Indiana Harbor, who unloaded at the Consumers Energy dock in Essexville.
August 2, 2013 Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber were outbound from the Saginaw River, Friday afternoon after arriving early Friday morning. The pair stopped at the Wirt Stone Dock in Bay City to deliver a partial cargo, then continued upriver to finish at the Wirt Stone Dock in Saginaw. For the month of July, there were 18 commercial vessel passages on the Saginaw River. This is one less than in 2012 and right on par with the 5-year average for the month of July. For the year to date, there have been 63 commercial vessel passages. This is seven less than in 2012 and fifteen below the five year average for the Saginaw River.
July 29-30, 2013 The tug Mary E. Hannah and her tank barge were outbound from the Bit-Mat dock in Bay City, Monday morning, after unloading there overnight. The tug Champion arrived around the same time at the Consumers Energy dock in Essexville with a barge load of equipment for the power plant. Champion was outbound on Tuesday. The tug Olive L. Moore and her barge, Lewis J. Kuber were inbound Tuesday morning, calling on the Lafarge Stone dock in Saginaw. The pair backed down river Tuesday evening, turned in the Airport Basin and was outbound for the lake.
July 27-28, 2013 Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber were inbound on the Saginaw River, early Saturday morning, calling on the Lafarge Stone dock in Saginaw. The pair were outbound later in the day. Sunday saw the arrival of the tug Mary E. Hannah and a tank barge, with the pair calling on the Bit-Mat dock in Bay City. The pair were still there late Sunday night.
July 18-25, 2013 Calumet delivered to the Bay City Wirt dock on July 18. She was followed by the Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber who unloaded at both the Bay City and Saginaw Wirt docks. On July 21, Mississagi called on the Buena vista dock to unload, and the Moore-Kuber were back again on July 24 to again unload at both the Bay City and Saginaw Wirt Stone docks.
July 17, 2013 American Century was inbound on the Saginaw Bay Wednesday afternoon, stopping at the Consumers Energy dock to unload coal. She backed from the dock Wednesday evening, turning at Light 12 and heading for the lake.
July 16, 2013 Michipicoten called on the Saginaw River early on Tuesday, unloading a cargo at the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City. She was followed a short time later by her fleet mate, Calumet, who traveled up the the GM dock in Saginaw to unload. Both vessels were outbound later in the day, Tuesday.
July 11 & 12, 2013 Algorail was inbound late Thursday night, headed up the Saginaw River for the Sargent salt dock in Zilwaukee. She finished unloading by Friday morning, backed down to the airport turning basin, turned and was outbound for the lake. The tug Dorothy Ann and her barge, Pathfinder, were inbound Friday afternoon, calling on the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City. The pair finished unloading and were outbound for the lake Friday evening.
July 9, 2013 The tug Zeus and tank barge Robert F. Deegan called on the Saginaw River, Tuesday, stopping at the Dow Chemical dock in Bay City, to unload. The pair were outbound for the lake early Wednesday morning.
July 8, 2013 The tug Defiance and her barge, Ashtabula, called on the Saginaw River on Monday. The pair stopped at the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City to unload. They were expected to be outbound late Monday or early Tuesday.
July 5, 2013 American Integrity called on the Consumers Energy dock in Essexville early Friday morning. She finished unloading her cargo of coal and was back outbound for the lake early in the afternoon. The tug Krista S. was busy running mud barges back and forth between the dredge site in the Downtown Bay City area and the confined disposal facility near Cheboyganing Creek.
July 3, 2013 The Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber called on the Saginaw River, Wednesday, with a split load. The pair stopped briefly at the Burroughs North dock in Essexville to unload a partial cargo, then continued upriver to finish unloading at the Lafarge Stone dock in Saginaw. They then backed down the river to the Airport Turning Basin, turned and were outbound, Wednesday evening.
June 19th - 28th Here were the vessel passages and deliveries for the week I was gone on my camping trip. 6/19/2013 MANITOWOC Bay City Wirt Dock 6/20/2013 AMERICAN COURAGE Bay Aggregates Dock 6/20/2013 MANISTEE Bay City Wirt Dock 6/20/2013 OLIVE L. MOORE - LEWIS J. KUBER Bay City Wirt Dock & Saginaw Wirt Dock 6/21/2013 AMERCAN CENTURY Consumers Energy Dock 6/23/2013 OLIVE L. MOORE - LEWIS J. KUBER Burroughs North Dock & Saginaw Lafarge Stone Dock 6/24/2013 DEFIANCE - ASHTABULA Bay Aggregates Dock 6/25/2013 ALGORAIL Sargent Dock Zilwaukee 6/25/2013 OLIVE L. MOORE - LEWIS J. KUBER Essexville Wirt Sand & Stone Dock 6/28/2013 INDIANA HARBOR Consumers Energy Dock Also of note was the grounding of the Algorail between the Veteran's Memorial Bridge and Liberty Bridge in Downtown Bay City
June 18, 2013 Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber called on the Saginaw River on Tuesday, with a split cargo for the Bay City and Saginaw Wirt Stone Docks. The pair backed down to the Airport Turning Basin after unloading, turned and was outbound for the lake late Tuesday night. Undaunted - Pere Marquette 41 made their first visit of the season to the Saginaw River, Tuesday afternoon. The pair also traveled up to the Saginaw Wirt Stone Dock to unload. The Undaunted - Pere Marquette 41 were backing down the River to the Airport Basin early Wednesday morning.
June 16, 2013 The Defiance - Ashtabula departed the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City, late Saturday morning, after unloading there overnight. Inbound late Saturday night was the Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber, carrying a split cargo. The pair stopped first at the Bay Aggregates dock, then continued upriver to finish unloading at the Buena Vista dock in Saginaw. The Moore-Kuber were back outbound for the lake late Sunday morning.
June 14, 2013 The tug Defiance and barge Ashtabula made their first ever visit to the Saginaw River on Friday, calling on the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City. The pair was still unloading there late in the evening and were expected to depart early Saturday morning.
June 13, 2013 Thursday morning saw the return of the Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber, this time with a split cargo for the Burroughs North dock in Essexville and the GM dock in Saginaw. By late afternoon, the pair had finished unloading, backed downriver to the Airport Turning Basin, Turned, and were outbound for the lake.
June 11, 2013 The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers tug Demolen and crane barge Veler were loading stone at the Bay City Wirt Stone dock during the afternoon Tuesday. Once loaded, the pair turned off the dock and transited back down the river to the area of the Essexville turning basin. It is not known what work they were performing at this time
June 10, 2013 Monday morning saw the arrival of the Indiana Harbor on the Saginaw River, with her calling on the Consumers Energy dock in Essexville to unload coal. Once finished unloading, the Indiana Harbor waited for the outbound Samuel de Champlain - Innovation, who had unloaded overnight at the Lafarge dock in Essexville to clear, then she backed from the dock, out to Light 12 in the Saginaw Bay to turn and head for the lake. Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber were also inbound on Monday, traveling up to the Buena Vista dock in Saginaw to unload. The pair finished their unload, then backed down the Saginaw River to turn in the Airport Turning Basin, before heading for the lake Monday evening.
June 9, 2013 Sam Laud was inbound Sunday morning, backing into the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City. The Laud was outbound for the lake during the late afternoon. The tug Samuel de Champlain and cement barge Innovation were inbound Sunday evening, calling on the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville. The pair were expected to be outbound on Monday.
June 8, 2013 Mississagi was inbound on the Saginaw River Saturday morning, heading up river to Saginaw, to unload at the Buena Vista Dock. Once finished, she backed down to the airport turning basin, turned and was then outbound for the lake Saturday evening.
June 5, 2013 Wednesday saw Cuyahoga make her first visit of the season to the Saginaw River, as she traveled all of the the up to the Sixth Street Basin and unloaded at the Lafarge Stone dock in Saginaw. She departed the dock late in the evening, and was backing down the Saginaw River.
June 2, 2013 The big tug, Olive L. Moore, uncoupled from the Lewis J. Kuber Sunday morning, and headed downriver from the Burroughs dock in Zilwaukee, bound for the Wirt dock in Bay City. There, she met up the the tug Manitou, who had recently arrived on the Saginaw River, and together they assisted in turning the Manitowoc in the Wirt basin. The Moore and Manitou made quick work of the turn and Manitowoc was outbound from the river late Sunday morning. After escorting Manitowoc out of the river, the Manitou traveled upriver to where the Moore-Kuber have been tied up at Burroughs since early on the 29th of May. With still too much current to turn around, Manitou tied off to the Moore with plans of trying again tomorrow if conditions cooperate. The tug Champion arrived on the Saginaw River late Sunday afternoon with two barges of equipment for the Consumers Energy dock in Essexville. She remained there Sunday night.
May 31 - June 1, 2013 Both the Manitowoc and the Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber remained on the Saginaw River as of Saturday night, with Manitowoc at the Bay City Wirt dock and the Moore-Kuber at the Burroughs dock in Zilwaukee The Moore-Kuber arrived on the 28th of May with a split cargo for Bay City and Saginaw Wirt and Manitowoc arrived on the 29th and unloaded at Bay City Wirt. Very strong currents in the Saginaw River are preventing the vessels from safely turning around and heading out for the lake. Commercial Vessel Passages for the month of May totaled 18. This is three less than the same period in 2012, but is actually one more than the five year average. For total vessel passages for the year, there have been 21, which is 14 passages less than the same period in 2012.
May 29th & 30th, 2013 Heavy rains and strong currents once again caused havoc on the Saginaw River, just as they did earlier in the season, as two vessels tried to leave after unloading, but could not. The Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber arrived on Tuesday with a split cargo, unloading at the Bay City and the Saginaw Wirt Stone docks. The pair backed down river from Saginaw Wirt on Wednesday and attempted to turn in the Airport Turning Basin, but were unable to do and headed back upriver to tie up at the Burroughs dock in Zilwaukee to await more favorable conditions. Manitowoc was inbound on Wednesday, unloading at the Bay City Wirt Dock, once finished, she attempted to turn in the basin at the west end of the dock, but was also unable to get around and tied back up at the Wirt dock to wait for more favorable conditions. Both vessels remained at their dock late Thursday night.
May 27 & 28, 2013 The tug Joseph H. Thompson, Jr., and barge Joseph H. Thompson, called on the Saginaw River late Sunday night, headed for the Bay Aggregates dock. Strong currents in the river from recent rains made the tricky entry into the Bay Aggregates slip event more difficult, making it necessary for the tug Kurt Luedtke to assist the big tug and barge unit into the slip. Once unloaded, the Thompson - Thompson, Jr. departed Bay Aggregates and were outbound for the bay on Monday. Tuesday afternoon saw the arrival of the Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber, who called on the Wirt Stone dock in Bay City. They remained there during the evening hours.
May 25 & 26, 2013 The Walter J. McCarthy, Jr. called on the Consumers Energy dock in Essexville on Saturday to unload coal. Finished unloading on Sunday morning, the McCarthy, Jr. backed from the dock and out into the Saginaw Bay to turn at Light 12 and then head for the lake. The tug Karen Andrie and her tank barge, Endeavour, called on the Bit-Mat dock in Bay City on Saturday. The pair completed their unload and were outbound Sunday afternoon.
May 22 & 23, 2013 Calumet arrived on the Saginaw River late Wednesday night, calling on the Wirt Stone dock in Bay City, to unload. She finished, turned and was outbound for the lake Thursday morning. Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber were inbound Thursday afternoon, calling on the Wirt Essexville Sand & Stone dock. The pair were expected to be outbound late Thursday evening.
May 15, 2013 (Late addition) The hardest working boat on the Saginaw River was back at it again on Wednesday. Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber were inbound during the late morning with a split load. The pair partially unloaded at the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City, then continued upriver to finish unloading at the Burroughs dock in Zilwaukee. The Moore-Kuber were expected to be outbound early Thursday morning. This is their fourth trip of the season to the Saginaw River.
May 17, 2013 Alpena made her first visit of the season to the Saginaw River on Friday, calling on the Lafarge Cement Dock in Essexville to unload. She was expected to be outbound early Saturday morning.
May 13, 2013 The tug Zeus and her tank barge, Robert F. Deegan, were inbound on the Saginaw River on Saturday, calling on the Dow Chemical dock. The pair were outbound early Monday morning. Inbound on Monday was the Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber. The pair unloaded at the Bay Aggregates Dock in Bay City, once finished, they departed the slip and headed back for the lake, early Monday evening.
May 11, 2013 The tug Zeus and her tank barge, Robert F. Deegan, were inbound on the Saginaw River on Saturday, calling on the Dow Chemical dock. Due to weather conditions, the pair remained on the Saginaw River late Sunday night.
May 9 & 10, 2013 The tug Olive L. Moore and her barge, Lewis J. Kuber, became the first repeat visitor to the Saginaw River this season, calling this time on the Wirt Stone Dock in Bay City on Thursday afternoon. Once unloaded, the pair turned and were outbound for the lake early Friday morning. Mississagi was inbound on Friday, calling on the Essexville Wirt Sand & Stone dock. She had finished unloading by early afternoon, turned off the dock in the Essexville Turning Basin, and was outbound from the Saginaw River into strong northeast winds and rain on the Saginaw Bay.
May 8, 2013 Indiana Harbor called on the Saginaw River Wednesday morning, unloading coal at the Consumers Energy power plant in Essexville. She had completed her unload and was outbound for the lake by the afternoon.
May 5, 2013 The Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber backed down the Saginaw River to the Airport Turning Basin, Sunday afternoon, turned and headed outbound for the lake. The pair had unloaded overnight at the Buena Vista dock in Saginaw. Inbound on Sunday was the tug Karen Andrie and her tank barge, Endeavour. The pair called on the Bit- Mat dock in Bay City to unload.
May 4, 2013 Saturday morning saw the first aggregate cargo of the season arrive on the Saginaw River, brought in by the Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber. Carrying a split cargo for the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City and the Buena Vista dock in Saginaw, the Moore/Kuber stopped first at Bay Aggregate and attempted to back into the slip there. After numerous attempts with no success, a request for assistance went out to the tug Kurt Luedtke, who was waiting with a mud scow at Consumers Energy for the river to clear. After having no luck in backing into the slip with the assistance from the Luedtke, the Kuber's cargo was finally dropped upriver from Bay Aggregates, on the cement pad just east of the Dow Chemical dock. Once finished there, the Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber continued upriver, Saturday evening, to finish unloading at the Buena Vista dock.
April Saginaw River Traffic Report: With a total of three commercial vessel deliveries for the month of April, traffic on the Saginaw River was down 79% as compared to the same period last year (14 vessel passages) and 75% compared to the five year average of twelve commercial passages. Additionally, there have been no cargos of aggregates delivered to Saginaw River ports so far in 2013. Delays due to weather and river currents certainly played a role in the decrease, as well as a decreased demand for the products handled by the docks along the Saginaw River. Dredging is underway in the lower river with crews from Luedtke Engineering presently working off the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville. A number of tugs have been active so far this season, with the Superior, Wyoming, Kurt R. Luedtke, Karl E. Luedtke, and Gregory J. Busch all moving in the river at some point. The USCG Cutter Hollyhock has also made a number of visits, working aids to navigation out in the Saginaw Bay. The research vessel, Mudpuppy II, has also visited the Saginaw River.
April 26, 2013 Friday morning saw the Algoway finally arriving at the North Star dock in Essexville to unload potash. Originally scheduled to open the season on the Saginaw River over a week ago, Algoway had been delayed by the abnormally strong current. She departed the North Star dock Friday evening, stern first, and with the assistance of the G-tugs Superior and Wyoming. It is rare to see a G-tug on the Saginaw River and even rarer, two, but with the conditions and boats needing assistance, they are here to help. The Superior and Wyoming also assisted the American Integrity depart Consumers Energy on Thursday.
April 25, 2013 The American Integrity was finally able to depart the Consumers Energy dock in Essexville, backing from the dock Thursday evening, and out to Light 12 in the Saginaw Bay to turn and head for the lake. The Integrity arrived on Wednesday, April 17th to unload coal and has been unable to safely depart since due to extreme currents in the Saginaw River from recent heavy rainfall.
April 22, 2013 The American Integrity remains tied up at the Consumers Energy dock in Essexville as of Monday night, after arriving on Wednesday to unload coal there. The Saginaw River crested yesterday at 22.42 feet, which is 5.42 feet above flood stage, and is now beginning to recede. The current remains very strong however, with the discharge at 41,500 cubic feet per second. That is almost 12 times the normal flow.
April 18, 2013 The American Integrity remained at the Consumers Energy dock in Essexville Thursday evening, after arriving early Wednesday afternoon to unload coal.
April 17, 2013 The tug Spartan and barge Spartan II departed the Dow Chemical dock late Wednesday afternoon after unloading there overnight. American Integrity was inbound early Wednesday afternoon, calling on the Consumers Energy Dock to unload coal. She remained there as of this report in the late evening. The USCG Cutter Hollyhock was working AToN in the Saginaw Bay on Wednesday.
April 16, 2013 The first commercial cargo of the 2013 season arrived Tuesday afternoon, when the tug Spartan, and her tank barge Spartan II, called on the Dow Chemical dock in Bay City. The pair is expected to be outbound sometime on Wednesday, current permitting.
April 15, 2013 We are still awaiting the arrival of the first commercial delivery of the season here on the Saginaw River. Algoway was scheduled to arrive at the North Star dock in Essexville on the 10th to unload potash, but due to the weather, she has not yet been able to make it in. American Integrity is currently scheduled in at the Consumers Energy Dock to unload coal on the 16th at 1pm. Winds and extremely heavy rains have the Saginaw River currents churning. Flood stage is 17 feet and the Saginaw is currently at 20.83 feet with the outflow at 41,100 cubic feet per second. There have been a few dock changes since last season. The Essroc cement terminal in Essexville is now the Lafarge cement terminal. Next door, at what was the Essexville Lafarge stone dock, it is now the Burroughs North stone dock.
January 4, 2013 On Friday, the USCG Cutter Hollyhock escorted the Alpena through the ice on the Saginaw Bay. Once at the Front Range, Hollyhock stopped at Consumers Energy, leaving Alpena to bust through the ice on the Saginaw River herself, as she made her way to the Essroc dock in Essexville. Alpena's visit is the first of 2013 for the Saginaw River. This was an unusual trip for the Alpena as I haven't seen an ILM vessel unload on the Saginaw River anywhere other than Lafarge. In 2012, the G.L. Ostrander - Integrity also unloaded at Essroc. It will be something to keep an eye on in 2013.
2012 Saginaw River Year End Report Saginaw River 2012 Shipping Season Wrap-Up Once again, I began the 2012 shipping season with high hopes for a rebound from the declining number of vessel passages and cargos that have been recorded over the past five years. It was my gut feeling that this season would be the year to reverse that downward trend. Sadly, this was once again not to be the case, as the following numbers will show you. This is a look back at what happened along the banks of the Saginaw River during this past season. The 2012 shipping season officially started on April 2nd, with the arrival of the tug Samuel De Champlain and her cement barge, Innovation, who arrived to unload their cargo at the Lafarge Cement Terminal in Carrollton. This was ten days earlier than their visit to open the 2011 season. The 2012 season came to a close when the tug Olive L. Moore and her barge, Lewis J. Kuber, departed the Wirt Stone Dock in Saginaw on December 14th. For the year, there were a total of 134 commercial vessel passages, by 22 different vessels, for a season lasting 258 days. These numbers are once again a decrease, though not by many, over the previous season. During the 2011 season, there were four more vessel passages, from four more boats, and the season was four days shorter. Looking at some of the other statistics from the 2012 season, 16 different docks along the Saginaw River saw cargo deliveries. This has now been the same for past three years. The dock that saw the most traffic was the Wirt Stone Dock in Bay City, seeing 24 deliveries, up ten from 2011. Coming in second was the Bay Aggregates Dock in Bay City, with 23 cargo deliveries, which is down six from last years total of 29. The third place dock was the Consumers Energy dock in Essexville, with 15 deliveries. These three docks accounted for 39% of the cargo delivered to the Saginaw River in 2012. The top three in 2011 were Bay Aggregates, Lafarge Stone in Saginaw, and Wirt Stone in Bay City. In all, accounting for split cargos for some vessels that unloaded at two different docks, there were 161 deliveries to the various docks along the Saginaw River. The workhorse of the Saginaw River, without question, has to be the tug Olive L. Moore, paired with the self-unloading barge Lewis J. Kuber. This pair made 50 trips to the river, two fewer trips than they made in 2011, and 37 more than the next highest visitor, the Algorail, who had 13. Third place went to the Manitowoc, who logged 10 passages. The American Century and Stephen B. Roman were next, tied with 8 passages each. This is the sixth year in a row that the Olive L. Moore – Lewis J. Kuber have had the most passages. There was no contest for the most represented fleet for 2012. Lower Lakes Towing/Grand River Navigation blew the other fleets out of the water, logging 71 vessel passages. This was the sixth year in a row for LLT/GRN in the #1 position. Even though they had four fewer deliveries than in 2011 they still accounted for 53% of the vessel passages on the Saginaw River in 2012. The next busiest fleet was Algoma Central Marine with 13 passages, and then in third was the American Steamship Company with 17. These three companies accounted for a whopping 79% of all deliveries on the Saginaw River in 2012. There were a number of vessels seen on the Saginaw River in 2011, but not making a visit here in 2012. These boats were Alpena, Michipicoten, Saginaw, Tug Invincible-Barge McKee Sons, Tug Undaunted-Barge Pere Marquette 41, Tug Cleveland-Barge Cleveland Rocks, and the James Norris. Sadly, we will never see again the James Norris, as she was scrapped at IMS in Port Colborne, ON. The last visit by the Norris was November 14, 2011. Vessels that we did not see in 2011, but made calls on the Saginaw River in 2012 were American Integrity, American Mariner, H. Lee White, Walter J. McCarthy, Jr., and the tug G.L. Ostrander-Barge Integrity. A number of tugs: Kurt Luedtke, Karl Luedtke, Krista S, Manitou, Nickelena, Ohio, Colonel and Gregory J. Busch were active on the Saginaw River, and the research vessels Channel Cat, Mudpuppy II, and Chinook were also seen. The USCG Cutter Hollyhock also made her traditional spring and fall visits to work aids to navigation in the Saginaw River Entrance Channel. Of the other stories of 2012, one of the biggest would be the long awaited arrival of the retired Navy Destroyer USS Edson, DD-946, on August 7th. Under tow of the big Dann Marine tug, Colonel, and Malcolm Marine tug, Manitou, the “Grey Ghost of the Vietnam Coast” arrived to much fanfare and celebration. The Edson is currently tied up at the Wirt Sand and Stone dock in Essexville awaiting the move to her permanent dock just below the Independence Bridge in Bangor Township. Dredging of the Saginaw River took place again in 2012 with Luedtke Engineering working the upper river, from the Sixth Street turning basin in Saginaw, down to the Cheboyganing Creek, during the late fall. The SCS Greyfox made her usual appearance in July, giving tours and cruises during the week of the Forth of July. Hopefully 2013 will bring increased traffic and more product to the docks along the banks of the Saginaw River. In 2005 there were 347 passages. This number has decreased every year since, down to the 2012 total of 134. Will this year be the rebound year? Time will tell. Here is wishing everyone a safe and prosperous shipping season in 2013! Todd A. Shorkey