By Todd Shorkey
April 16, 2021
Friday afternoon saw BBC Oregon departing the Port Fisher dock in Bay
City, with the assistance of the tug Manitou. BBC Oregon had arrived on
the Saginaw River on April 12th to unload wind turbine tower
sections.
April 12, 2021
Monday on the Saginaw River saw three vessel passages. Algoma
Innovator started things out in the early morning hours, calling on the
North Star Fertilizer Dock in Essexville. BBC Oregon was in next, stopping
at the Port Fisher Dock in Bay City to unload wind turbine components.
She was assisted with turning around and making the dock by the tug
Manitou. Late afternoon saw the arrival of H. Lee White, sporting the
stack colors of Lower Lakes/Grand River for the first time on the
Saginaw River. H. Lee White called on the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates Dock
in Bay City to unload.
April 7, 2021
The Herbert C. Jackson opened the 2021 shipping season on the Saginaw
River, arriving Wednesday evening, April 7th, with a split cargo for the
Wirt Stone docks in Bay City and Saginaw. The start of the season was 20
days later than last year, when the tug Spartan and tank barge, Spartan
II arrived on March 18th.
Saginaw River – Commercial Shipping Season Report – 2020
By Todd Shorkey
With the best season on record since 2008, the 2020 commercial
shipping season on the Saginaw River is in the books. Traffic numbers
have now increased for the fourth consecutive year, surpassing last
season’s totals. The number of commercial vessel passages for 2020 were
the highest they have been since the 2008 season, climbing over the 200
mark for the first time since that year. It is important to note
however, that without the record number of wind turbine blade deliveries that came into the Saginaw River this season, the 2020 season would have
had the exact same number of commercial deliveries as the 2019 season. It
is still exciting to see the improvement, especially after a year rocked
by a global pandemic, boats in extended layup, and lower numbers realized
in other parts of the industry. Hard work continues to be put in by
leaders of the industry, not only here on the Saginaw River locally,
but across the Great Lakes, working improve infrastructure and
product diversity, which allows for more opportunities to utilize
maritime assets to move product, cheaper and more efficiently than
other modes of transportation. The results of these efforts are
showing dividends, and it is still my hope that the gains we are now
seeing, foreshadow even better things to come in the future. The
following is a look back on the 2020 commercial shipping season here on
the Saginaw River, utilizing the information and data I have
collected during this time period.
The 2020 season officially started on March 18th, with the arrival of
the tug Spartan and her tank barge, Spartan II. The pair brought in a
cargo of Calcium Chloride from the Occidental Chemical Corporation,
located in Ludington, Michigan, delivering it at Port Fisher in
Bay City. The season ended when the steamer Alpena arrived on January
8, 2021 to unload a cargo of powdered cement at the Lafarge Cement Dock
in Essexville. The 2020 season on the Saginaw River lasted for a total
of 297 days. This was 19 days longer than in 2019. The start of the
2020 season was 22 days earlier than in 2019, with the end of the season
two days earlier than in 2019.
For the 2020 commercial shipping season, there were a grand total of
202 commercial vessel passages on the Saginaw River, representing
an increase of 21 more passages than the 2019 season. These passages
were made by 45 different vessels, representing 18 different
vessel management companies. Both were increases, as there were 37
unique vessels and 15 companies in 2019.
Looking at other numbers from the 2020 season, deliveries were made to
a total of 17 individual docks along the banks of the Saginaw River.
These were the same 17 that had received cargo in 2019. The dock seeing
the most vessel traffic in 2020 was the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates Dock
in Bay City, with 45 vessel deliveries. This is three more than
recorded during the previous season. In second and third place
respectively were the Wirt Stone Dock in Bay City with 38 deliveries and
the Wirt Stone Dock in Saginaw with 36 deliveries. Rounding out the
top five are the Lafarge Cement Dock in Essexville with 23 deliveries
and the Port Fisher/ International Dock with 21 deliveries. These top
five docks accounted for a whopping 81% of the total commercial
vessel deliveries in 2020. The two largest companies, Fisher and Wirt,
each with multiple docks along the Saginaw River, accounted for a total
of 78% of all commercial vessel deliveries. In all, accounting for
split cargos by some vessels, which unloaded at two or more different
docks during the same visit, there were 246 deliveries to the various
docks along the Saginaw River. This is 42 more actual dock deliveries
than during the 2019 season.
The Lower Lakes Towing/Grand River Navigation tug, Olive L. Moore,
paired with the self-unloading barge Menominee, defended their the title
of “Queen of the Saginaw River”, again making more trips to the river
in 2020 than any other vessel. The pair logged 43 visits this season,
eight more than in 2019 and 30 more than the boat the with second most
trips to the Saginaw River, Interlake Steamship’s Herbert C. Jackson,
who had 13. The Olive L. Moore/Menominee has now been the workhorse of
the Saginaw River 14 of the past 15 years. Rounding out the top five
most frequent vessels is a three-way tie for third: Algoma Central’s
Algoma Innovator, American Steamship’s John J. Boland, and Lower
Lakes/Grand River’s Calumet, all with eight visits each.
The company leading the way with the most cargo deliveries to the
Saginaw River during the 2020 season was Lower Lakes Towing/Grand
River Navigation, with 70 vessel deliveries, an increase of 14
deliveries over 2019 and accounting for 35% of all deliveries in 2020.
They have now been leading the way on the Saginaw River for 13 of the
past 14 years. The Interlake Steamship Company logged the second most visits, with 27 trips, down from 46 in 2019. Coming in third place was
the American Steamship Company with 21 deliveries to the Saginaw River,
down three from 2019. These three companies accounted for 58% of
all deliveries on the Saginaw River in 2020. Rounding out the top
five companies were Algoma Central Marine and LafargeHolcim/Andrie both
with 15 trips each.
There were a number vessels that were visitors to the Saginaw River in
2019, that did not make a return visit here in 2020, with those
vessels being: American Steamship Company’s 1000 footers American
Century, American Integrity, Indiana Harbor, and Walter J. McCarthy,
Jr. Others were Sam Laud, Great Republic, and Manitoulin.
Saltwater vessels included BBC Elbe, BBC Plata, BBC Polonia, BBC Louise,
BBC Leda, and Industrial Strength.
The list of boats that were not visitors in 2019, but did make an
appearance on the Saginaw River in 2020 includes the longest vessel on
the Great Lakes, Interlake Steamship’s Paul R. Tregurtha, making a
first ever visit, the Robert S. Pierson, and BBC Volga. There was a list
of saltwater vessels making a first ever visit to the Saginaw River in
2020: the BBC Vessels Gdansk, Mont Blanc, Rushmore, Switzerland,
Greenland, Edge, Song, Vesuvius, Peru, and Brazil. The others were
Timgad, Zea Servant, Caroline, Amoenitas, Hilke, Calypso, Spiekeroog,
and Azoresborg.
There were a number of other notable stories during the 2020
season:
- Wind energy was a considerable theme relating to cargo delivered
to the Saginaw River in 2020. Over the past few years, wind
turbine components have been delivered here by boats, trains, and
trucks, with the components including everything from the blades, to
the tower segments, to the nacelles. This season however, we witnessed
the largest ever amount of wind turbine blades delivered to the
Saginaw River. Twenty one vessels called on the Port Fisher Dock in
Bay City and unloaded these blades for delivery to wind energy
farms throughout Michigan. As a result, Malcolm Marine
Incorporated’s workhorse tug, Manitou, spent a large part of the 2020
season here on the Saginaw River, standing by at the Lafarge Cement dock
in Essexville, ready to assist these saltwater vessels with turning
around on the Saginaw River as well as getting safely on and off Port
Fisher dock.
The tug Manitou also assisted a number of other vessels, including
Algoma Buffalo and Calumet, during a time of high water and currents due
to extreme rainfall and dam failures on the tributaries that feed
the Saginaw River, and the tanker Iver Bright, when she would arrive
to unload liquid asphalt at the Bit-Mat
dock.
An iconic structure that sat on the bank of the Saginaw River since
the 1940’s disappeared from the landscape and skyline in 2020. The
J.C. Weadock power generating plant in Essexville was retired by
Consumers Energy in 2016 and demolition started. In 2020, with
controlled explosions, the remains of the structure were brought down
and hauled away. Interlake Steamship Company’s Dorothy Ann –
Pathfinder ended up making two deliveries to Consumers Energy,
dropping stone to fill the hole left by the old Weadock Power
Plant.
In February 2020, it was announced that Wilkinson Minerals would be
opening a facility on the Saginaw River, just east of the
Independence Bridge in Bay City, and begin pumping salt brine from a
large deposit known as the Sylvania Sandstone Formation. Wilkinson
Minerals has stated that “the company will produce both liquid and dry
salt products, with the liquid products primarily shipped out on the
river”. At last report, construction was supposed to begin in
2021.
Maintenance dredging took place along sections of the Saginaw River
during the 2020 season. Crews from the Ryba Marine Construction
Company, based out of Cheboygan, Michigan handled the work, with their
tugs Kathy Lynn and Kristin Joelle each spending time working on the
river.
While not located on the Saginaw River, another iconic structure was lost
in 2020, when crews demolished the old U.S. Gypsum marine loading
building located in Lake Huron, offshore from their old mine in
Alabaster. Originally built in the 1920’s and last used in 2000, the
scrap from the demolished building was barged to the Saginaw River, again
by the Ryba Marine tug, Kathy Lynn, and unloaded at the Port Fisher dock
in Bay City for recycling and disposal.
Some other vessels visiting the Saginaw River in 2020 were the U.S.
Coast Guard cutters Hollyhock and Adler, handling aids to navigation
work for the Saginaw River Entrance Channel out in Saginaw Bay.
Michigan Department of Natural Resources research vessels Tanner and
Wheeler also made appearances on the Saginaw River, and the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers surveyed the Saginaw River channel to ensure there
were no hidden hazards after hydroelectric dam failures in Edenville
and Sanford caused flooding on the Saginaw River. Commercial shipping
on the Saginaw River was suspended for a short time until conditions
were safe enough for transit and the survey was completed.
December 20, 2020
Alpena arrived on the Saginaw River Saturday morning, calling on the
Lafarge Cement Dock in Essexville to unload. Algoma Innovator arrived
on Sunday morning, going to the North Star Fertilizer Dock in Essexville
to unload. Both vessels were outbound during the afternoon on Sunday.
The tug Manitou was inbound on Sunday, tying up at the Lafarge Cement Dock
in Essexville to await the arrival of Iver Bright Monday morning.
December 8, 2020
Paul R. Tregurtha arrived on the Saginaw River after dark on Tuesday,
calling on the Consumers Energy Dock in Essexville to unload coal.
The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Alder arrived on the Saginaw Bay
Tuesday afternoon, presumably to work aids to navigation in the Saginaw
River Entrance Channel.
November 23, 2020
The tug/barge combo, Olive L. Moore - Menominee arrived on the Saginaw
River Sunday, marking their 40th delivery to the river this season. The
pair called on the Burroughs North Dock in Essexville to unload.
Monday evening saw the arrival of the Samuel de Champlain -
Innovation, stopping at the Lafarge Cement Dock in Essexville.
November 21, 2020
John J. Boland called on the Saginaw River Friday afternoon, unloading at
the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City. Saturday saw Calumet
back again, this time traveling upriver to unload at the Wirt Stone Dock
in Saginaw.
November 19, 2020
Calumet was inbound on the Saginaw River Thursday afternoon, calling on
the Wirt Stone Dock in Bay City. Her fleetmate, Olive L. Moore -
Menominee, were also inbound early Thursday evening, headed upriver to
a Saginaw area dock.
November 18, 2020
Iver Bright was outbound from the Saginaw River on Tuesday after
assistance from the tug Manitou, turning out of the Bay Aggregates
slip. Later in the afternoon, Paul R. Tregurtha arrived at the
Consumers Energy Dock in Essexville to unload coal. The Tregurtha
was outbound early Wednesday morning. Manitou was also outbound, headed
back to her home dock. Samuel de Champlain - Innovation were inbound on
the Saginaw River Wednesday morning, calling on the Lafarge Cement dock
in Essexvillle to unload.
November 16, 2020
Iver Bright was inbound on the Saginaw River Monday, November 16th, calling
on the Bit- Mat Asphalt dock in Bay City. She was assisted to the dock by
the tug Manitou.
November 14th, 2020
American Mariner arrived on the Saginaw River, Friday, November 13th,
calling on the Burroughs North Dock in Essexville. She unloaded overnight
and then departed for the lake Saturday morning. Undaunted-Pere Marquette
41 was inbound later afternoon on Saturday, going up to the Port Fisher/
Bay Aggregates Dock in Bay City to unload. The tug Manitou was also
inbound on the Saginaw River, arriving at the Lafarge Cement Dock
in Essexville Saturday night.
October 25, 2020
On Wednesday, October 21st, the tug Samuel de Champlain and cement
barge Innovation were inbound on the Saginaw River to unload at the
Lafarge Cement Dock in Essexville. John J. Boland was inbound for the
Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates Dock in Bay City on Friday, October 23rd. Saturday, October 24th saw the Herbert C. Jackson inbound early in the
morning to unload coal at the GM Dock in Saginaw. Later in the morning,
Iver Bright was inbound for the Bit-Mat dock at Port Fisher/Bay
Aggregates slip in Bay City. She was assisted by the tug Manitou.
September 24, 2020
Algoma Buffalo arrived on the Saginaw River, Thursday, September 24th,
heading up the river to unload at the Sargent Dock in Zilwaukee. H. Lee
White was inbound a short time later, backing into the Port Fisher/
Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City to unload. Once the H. Lee White was in
the slip, the tug Manitou began assisting BBC Peru off the dock at
Port Fisher, helping her to turn and head for the lake. BBC Peru had
arrived on Sunday, September 20th.
September 20, 2020
BBC Peru was inbound on the Saginaw River, headed to the Port Fisher Dock
in Bay City on Sunday, September 20th, to unload wind turbine blades. She
was assisted to the dock by the tug
Manitou.
Once BBC Peru passed the Lafarge Cement Dock in Essexville, Alpena came
off the dock, turning around in the river using the Bay Aggregates slip,
and headed outbound for the lake after finishing her unload
overnight.
Sunday afternoon saw the Algoma Innovator inbound on the Saginaw
River, stopping across the river from the BBC Peru to unload in Essexville
at the North Star Dock.
September 11, 2020
Olive L. Moore - Menominee were inbound on the Saginaw River on
Thursday, September 10th, heading up to the ACE/Saginaw Paving - Buena
Vista Dock to unload. The pair were outbound Friday morning.
At sunrise Friday morning, September 11th, the tug Manitou assisted the
BBC Song off the Port Fisher Dock in Bay City, helping her to turn on
right wheel, and head for the lake. Once the BBC Song and Olive L.
Moore - Menominee cleared the Saginaw River Entrance Channel, BBC
Vesuvius made her way inbound and was then also assisted by the tug Manitou
to make the Port Fisher Dock in Bay City.
September 7, 2020
Algoma Innovator was inbound on the Saginaw River on Monday, September
7th, headed up to the Sargent Dock in Zilwaukee to unload salt. Later in
the afternoon, BBC Song was inbound for the Port Fisher Dock in Bay City
to unload wind turbine blades. She was assisted to the dock by the
tug Manitou.
September 5, 2020
Traffic on the Saginaw River has been steady the past two days, with
multiple arrivals each day. Friday, September 4th saw Calumet arriving
for the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates Dock in Bay City and the BBC Edge, also
for the Port Fisher complex, unloading wind turbine blades at the
old Dow/International dock. BBC Edge was assisted to the dock by the
tug Manitou.
On Saturday, September 5th, Laura L. VanEnkevort - Joseph H. Thompson
arrived early morning, traveling upriver to unload at the ACE
Saginaw Paving/Buena Vista Dock. Sharon M1 - Huron Spirit were in
next, unloading at the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates Dock.
August 22, 2020
BBC Greenland arrived on the Saginaw River early Friday morning, August
21st, calling on the Port Fisher Dock in Bay City. She was assisted to
the dock by the tug Manitou. After unloading her cargo of wind
turbine blades, she departed the dock Saturday morning, again with
the assistance of the Manitou, and headed for the lake.
Olive L. Moore - Menominee were also inbound on Friday, they
finished unloading at the Wirt Stone Dock in Saginaw, turned in the
Sixth Street Basin, and were outbound for the lake Friday
evening.
Saturday morning saw the arrival of H. Lee White, calling on the Wirt
Stone Dock in Bay City to unload. Finishing by early afternoon, The
White backed down the river to the Bay Aggregates slip, turned, and
was outbound for the lake Saturday afternoon.
August 14, 2020
The tug Manitou assisted Azoresborg from the Port Fisher dock in Bay City
at sunrise, Friday, August 14th, and assisted her in turning to head for
the lake.
Herbert C. Jackson was inbound on the Saginaw River later Friday
morning, carrying a split cargo for the Wirt Stone Docks in Bay City
and Saginaw. By afternoon, Samuel de Champlain - Innovation were
also inbound, heading for the Lafarge Cement Dock in Essexville.
August 13, 2020
zoresborg arrived on the Saginaw River early Thursday morning, August
13th, stopping at the Port Fisher Dock in Bay City to unload wind
turbine blades. She was assisted to the dock by the tug Manitou.
Azoresborg is the first Wagenborg vessel to visit the Saginaw
River.
Olive L. Moore - Menominee were inbound on Thursday as well, carrying a
split cargo for the Wirt Stone Docks in Bay City and Saginaw.
August 12, 2020
The Paul R. Tregurtha was inbound for the Consumers Energy/D.E. Karn
Power Plant on the Saginaw River, Wednesday, August 12th. This is the
first coal delivery to the dock since November 20, 2019 when the Walter
J. McCarthy called on the dock. This is also a historic trip for
the Tregurtha, as it is the first ever visit to the Saginaw River by
this vessel.
The tug Zeus and her tank barge, Robert F. Deegan were also on the
Saginaw River, completing an offload at the Port Fisher/Dow-Oxy Dock
in Bay City. The pair were outbound late in the morning Wednesday.
August 3, 2020
Algoma Innovator was inbound on the Saginaw River on Monday,
August 3rd, heading to the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates Dock in Bay City.
She completed her unload and was outbound by 8:30pm that
evening.
August 2, 2020
The Zea Servant completed her unload of wind turbine blades on Sunday,
August 2nd and departed the Port Fisher dock in Bay City with assistance
from the tug Manitou, who also assisted her turning around on the
Saginaw River. Sunday afternoon saw the arrival of the Samuel de
Champlain - Innovation, who tied up at the Lafarge Cement Dock in
Essexville to unload. BBC Gdansk was inbound on the Saginaw River
Sunday evening, also calling on the Port Fisher Dock in Bay City to
unload wind turbine blades. She was assisted to the dock by the tug
Manitou.
July 30, 2020
Hilke was inbound on the Saginaw River, Thursday, July 30th, headed to
the Port Fisher Dock in Bay City to unload wind turbine components. She
was assisted by the Malcolm Marine tug Manitou.
July 26, 2020
The Saginaw River had a number of vessel movements on Sunday, July
26th, beginning with the Alpena, who arrived during the early morning hours
to unload at the Lafarge Cement Terminal in Essexville. The tug
Manitou arrived early in the afternoon and stood by for the arrival of
the saltie, Caroline, making her third visit to the Saginaw River this
season. Manitou assisted Caroline and her deck cargo of wind turbine
blades to the Port Fisher Dock in Bay City. American Courage was
inbound during the early evening hours, backing into the Bay Aggregates
slip in Bay City to unload.
July 19, 2020
Dorothy Ann - Pathfinder were inbound on the Saginaw River early
Sunday morning, July 19th, carrying a split cargo for the Wirt Stone Docks
in Bay City and Saginaw. The pair finished unloading by early afternoon
and were outbound for the lake.
July 17, 2020
Olive L. Moore - Menominee were inbound on the Saginaw River on Friday,
July 17th, calling on the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City.
They finished unloading by the afternoon, backed from the slip and headed
out of the river for the lake.
July 14, 2020
Laura L. VanEnkevort - Joseph H. Thompson were inbound on the Saginaw River
on Tuesday, July 14th, with a split cargo. The pair stopped at the
Burroughs North Dock in Essexville to unload a partial cargo before
continuing upriver to finish unloading at the ACE-Saginaw Paving/Buena
Vista Dock.
Olive L. Moore - Menominee were inbound Tuesday afternoon, calling on the
Bay Aggregates Dock at Port Fisher in Bay City to unload.
July 13, 2020
Herbert C. Jackson was inbound on the Saginaw River on Monday,
July 13th, calling on the Wirt Sand and Stone Dock in Essexville.
After unloading there, the Jackson backed down to the Bay Aggregates
slip, turned, and headed outbound for the lake Monday evening.
July 11, 2020
Olive L. Moore - Menominee were inbound on the Saginaw River late
Saturday night, July 11th, carrying a split cargo. The pair made stops at
the Burroughs North Dock in Essexville, Burroughs Materials Dock in
Zilwaukee and the Lafarge Stone Dock in Saginaw. They were outbound
Sunday morning.
July 9, 2020
Calypso was inbound on the Saginaw River early Thursday morning, July
9th, calling on the Port Fisher Dock in Bay City to unload wind
turbine blades. She was assisted to the dock by the tug
Manitou.
July 7, 2020
Samuel de Champlain - Innovation were inbound on the Saginaw River late
Monday night, July 6th, calling on the Lafarge Cement dock in
Essexville. After a very short offload, they were back outbound for the
lake Tuesday morning.
Timgad was assised from the Port Fisher Dock by the tug Manitou and was
also outbound from the Saginaw River Tuesday morning. Not far behind
was the Algoma Buffalo, the third outbound vessel of the
morning.
Alpena was inbound on the Saginaw River on Tuesday, calling on the
Lafarge Cement Dock in Essexville, making her the second cement boat in
less than 12 hours to unload there.
July 6, 2020
Timgad arrived on the Saginaw River Monday morning, July 6th, traveling up
to the Port Fisher Dock in Bay City to unload turbine blades. She was
assisted to the dock by the tug Manitou.
Algoma Buffalo was inbound Monday evening, traveling to the upper river
to unload at the Sargent Salt Dock in Zilwaukee.
July 5, 2020
Olive L. Moore - Menominee were inbound on the Saginaw River late
Saturday night, July 4th, with a split cargo for the Wirt Stone Docks in
Bay City and Saginaw. The pair were outbound Sunday
morning.
BBC Volga was inbound early Sunday morning, July 5th, calling on the
Port Fisher Dock in Bay City to unload wind turbine blades. She was
assisted to the dock by the tug Manitou.
June 30, 2020
G.L. Ostrander - Integrity arrived on the Saginaw River Tuesday morning,
June 30th, calling on the Lafarge Cement Dock in Essexville to unload.
Olive L. Moore - Menominee were also inbound Tuesday morning. The pair
waited just off the Wirt Stone Dock in Bay City for the outbound Herbert
C. Jackson to pass, then the pair continued upriver, stopping at both
the Burroughs Materials dock in Zilwaukee and the Lafarge Stone Dock
in Saginaw. Olive L. Moore - Menominee were outbound early in the
evening Tuesday.
Saginaw arrived on her namesake river on Monday, June 29th, carrying a
split cargo. She stopped first at the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates dock in
Bay City, dropping a partial cargo, then continued upriver to finish
unloading at the Wirt Stone Dock in Saginaw.
Herbert C. Jackson was inbound on the Saginaw River Monday evening,
also carrying a split cargo, this time for the Wirt Stone Docks in Bay
City and Saginaw.
June 27, 2020
Caroline arrived on the Saginaw River Saturday morning, traveling up to
the Port Fisher Dock in Bay City to offload wind turbine blades. She
was assisted by the tug Manitou. This is the second delivery this month
by Caroline to Port Fisher.
Olive L. Moore - Menominee arrived Saturday afternoon with a split cargo
for the Wirt Stone Docks in Bay City and Saginaw.
June 24, 2020
Laura L. VanEnkevort - Joseph H. Thompson made their first 2020 visit to
the Saginaw River on Monday, May 22nd, traveling upriver to unload at
the GM/International Dock in Saginaw. The pair were outbound on
Tuesday. Wednesday, May 24th saw the arrival of Manitowoc, calling on
the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates Dock in Bay City to unload.
June 21, 2020
Saginaw was inbound on her namesake river early Sunday morning, traveling
up to the ACE-Saginaw Paving/Buena Vista Dock, just above the
Zilwaukee Bridge. She completed her unload and was back outbound for the
lake Sunday afternoon.
Amoenitas was inbound on the Saginaw River Sunday evening, calling on the
Port Fisher Dock in Bay City to deliver turbine components. She was
assisted to the dock by the tug Manitou.
June 20, 2020
Dorothy Ann - Pathfinder were inbound on the Saginaw River Friday night,
June 19th, headed up to the Sargent Dock in Zilwaukee to unload
salt.
The tug Kathy Lynn also arrived on the Saginaw river, calling on the
Port Fisher Dock in Bay City with two barges loaded with scrap metal from
the Alabaster Gypsum Dock demolition project. The scrap metal is
being offloaded at Port Fisher.
June 19, 2020
Herbert C. Jackson was back on the Saginaw River Thursday afternoon,
with another split cargo for the Wirt Stone Dock in Bay City and Saginaw.
A few minutes behind was the Samuel de Champlain - Innovation, inbound for
the Lafarge Cement Dock in Essexville.
June 17, 2020
On Tuesday, June 16th, Herbert C. Jackson arrived on the Saginaw
River carrying a split cargo. The Jackson stopped at the Wirt Stone Dock
in Bay City for a partial unload, then continued up to the Wirt Stone Dock
in Saginaw to finish unloading. Herbert C. Jackson turned in the Sixth
Street Basin and was outbound for the lake just after
dusk.
The tug Spartan and her tank barge, Spartan II were inbound on the
Saginaw River on Wednesday afternoon, June 17, calling on the Port
Fisher, Dow/Oxy Dock in Bay City.
June 12, 2020
Manitowoc was inbound on the Saginaw River early Friday morning, calling
on the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates Dock in Bay City. She was back outbound
for the lake later in the morning.
June 6, 2020
Very late Thursday night, Herbert C. Jackson arrived on the Saginaw
River carrying a split cargo. The Jackson Stopped at the Wirt Stone Dock
in Bay City first, then went up to the Wirt Stone Dock in Saginaw to
finish unloading. The Sharon M I - Huron Spirit were inbound just
after midnight Friday, calling on the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates Dock in
Bay City. Both Herbert C. Jackson and Sharon M I - Huron Spirit were
back outbound later in the day Friday. Samuel de Champlain - Innovation
called on the Saginaw River Friday night, stopping at the Lafarge Cement
Dock in Essexvile to unload.
June 1, 2020
The tug Sharon M I and her self-unloading barge, Huron Sprit arrived on
the Saginaw River, just before midnight on May 31st. The pair called on
the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates Dock in Bay City and after unloading
overnight, departed for the lake this morning. G.L. Ostrander - Integrity arrived during the early evening on June 1st, calling on the Lafarge
Cement Dock in Essexville.
May 31, 2020
Commercial deliveries on the Saginaw River remained strong for the month
of May, with 25 commercial vessel passages bring recorded. This is
even more impressive as there was a ten day window between May 18th and
May 28th where there was no traffic on the river due to unsafe
river currents and flooding. The 25 passages in May represents an
increase of nine more than last May, and more than the 5, 10, and
15-year averages which are 16, 17, and 19 respectively.
Looking at the total number of vessel passages for the year-to-date,
there have been 39 through the end of May. This also represents an
increase over the same period last year, when there were only 24
passages for the year to date. When this is compared to the past
averages for 5, 10, and 15 years, 2020 is quite a bit above those as
well, being 16 deliveries above the 5 and 10-year averages and 15 above
the 15-year average.
For fun, I went back to the 2005 season, the first I kept records for,
and looked at the vessels that delivered to the Saginaw River in May of
that year. It is sad to see how many of the 2005 vessels have been
scrapped or are now inactive.
May 2005:
Earl W. Oglebay
Indiana Harbor
Invincible – McKee Sons
Fred R. White, Jr.
Algoway
Mississagi
Joyce L. Vanenkevort-Great Lakes Tradet
Walter J. McCarthy, Jr.
Joseph H. Thompson – Joseph H. Thompson, Jr.
Calumet (ex. Myron C. Taylor)
CSL Tadoussac
Agawa Canyon
Buffalo
G. L. Ostrander – Integrity
Paul H. Townsend
Canadian Transfer
JAW Iglehart
Manistee
Algorail
Adam E. Cornelius
H. Lee White
John Spence – McAsphalt 401
Tug Barbara Andrie – A 410
Tug Karen Andrie & tank barge
Tug Rebecca Lynn & tank barge
Tug Donald C. Hannah & tank barge
May 28, 2020
Commercial Shipping traffic resumed on the Saginaw River today, after a 10
day absence, due to excessive currents and flooding that made
navigation unsafe. Alpena arrived early Thursday morning, calling on
the Lafarge Cement Dock in Essexville. During the afternoon, the tug
Sharon M I and her barge, Huron Spirit, arrived on the Saginaw River, going
to the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City to unload.
Algoma Buffalo is still on the river, tied up at the ACE-Saginaw
Paving/Buena Vista Dock. The Saginaw River has been undergoing a survey
of the shipping channel, making sure there are no underwater obstruction
or navigational hazards. Outflow on the Saginaw River has dropped
below 10,000 cubic feet per second for the first time since May 18th.
Algoma Buffalo could be given the green light to depart as soon as
tomorrow.
Olive L. Moore - Menominee were inbound on the Saginaw Bay, headed for
the river as this report was being typed. Caroline is also expected
tomorrow as well. The tug Manitou is also here on the Saginaw River
ready to assist when needed.
May 24, 2020
The outflow from the Saginaw River continues to slowly fall.
As of 9pm Saturday, May 24th, the outflow was 31,000 cubic feet of water
per second. This is down about 4,500cfs from last night at this time.
At its highest, the outflow was over 45,000cfs. On May 18th, just before
the current started climbing, the Saginaw river was flowing at just
over 3,000cfs.
The water level on the Saginaw River is still above flood stage, at
19.71 feet, but is also dropping slowly. Flood stage is 17
feet.
With the extreme current, Algoma Buffalo is still tied up at the
ACE/Saginaw Paving - Buena Vista Dock, just above the Zilwaukee Bridge,
as they are unable to safely turn around in the basin at 6th Street and
are waiting for better conditions. They arrived on the River on May 18th
with a split cargo for the Burroughs North Dock in Essexville and the
dock where they currently sit. Since they have been here, noticible work
the crew has done has included repainting draft marks and working on
painting the deck.
May 17, 2020
Overnight, the tug Defiance and her self unloading barge, Ashtabula,
arrived on the Saginaw River, calling on the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates
Dock in Bay City. Later in the morning, Algoma Innovator arrived on the
river, calling on the North Star Fertilizer Dock in Essexville to
unload.
May 16, 2020
G.L. Ostrander - Integrity arrived on the Saginaw River Saturday
morning, calling on the Lafarge Cement Dock in Essexville to unload.
Later in the morning, Algoma Buffalo was outbound for the lake after
unloading overnight at the Sargent Dock in Zilwaukee. Saturday evening
saw the arrival of Ryba Marine Construction tug, Kathy Lynn, pushing a
mud scow. She dropped the scow at the Port Fisher Dock in Bay City,
then departed the river.
May 15, 2020
Olive L. Moore - Menominee called on the Saginaw River on
Wednesday, delivering a split cargo to the Wirt Stone Docks in Bay City
and Saginaw.
Algoma Buffalo was inbound Friday night, headed up to the Sargent Salt
Dock in Zilwaukee to unload.
May 11, 2020
Monday was a very active day on the Saginaw River. Algoma Buffalo
delivered her first cargo of the season, unloading salt at the Sargent Dock
in Zilwaukee. The tug Undaunted and barge Pere Marquette 41 were next
to arrive, bringing in a cargo for the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates Dock in
Bay City. A short distance behind them was the Olive L. Moore –
Menominee, traveling all of the way upriver to unload at the Lafarge
Stone Dock in Saginaw.
Calumet, who arrived on Sunday, had finished unloading and was ready to
depart Monday morning, but waited up in Saginaw for both Algoma Buffalo
and Olive L. Moore to make the trip up the Saginaw River, before
finally throwing lines from the Burroughs Dock in Zilwaukee, where she
was waiting for the traffic to clear. By 8pm Monday, all four vessels were
on their way outbound or had left earlier in the day.
May 10, 2020
John J. Boland arrived on the Saginaw River Sunday morning, calling on
the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates Dock in Bay City. Unloading on a rain and
wind filled Mother's Day, the Boland finished unloading and was outbound
just before 5pm.
Sunday evening saw Calumet inbound on the Saginaw River just before
sunset. She called on the Wirt Stone Dock in Bay City for a partial unload
and was scheduled to travel upriver to the Wirt Stone Dock in Saginaw
to finish.
May 7, 2020
John J. Boland arrived on the Saginaw River very early Thursday morning,
to unload at the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates Dock in Bay City. The Boland
was outbound later in the morning after sunrise.
Samuel de Champlain - Innovation were inbound Thursday evening, calling on
the Lafarge Cement dock in Essexville. This marks the first cement cargo
to the dock this season.
May 6, 2020
The Olive L. Moore - Menominee were outbound on the Saginaw River,
early Wednesday morning. The pair arrived late Tuesday night carrying a
split cargo, unloading at the Wirt Stone Docks in Bay City and
Saginaw.
May 2, 2020
Olive L. Moore - Menominee was inbound on the Saginaw River
Saturday afternoon, traveling all the way to the end of the shipping
channel, to unload at the Lafarge Stone Dock in Saginaw.
Saginaw River Vessel Passages for April 2020
Going by the numbers, the 2020 commercial shipping season is off to a
strong start on the Saginaw River. For April, there were a total of
13 commercial vessel passages, This is five more passages than last April
and the most since the 2012 season when the Saginaw River saw 14 passages
for the month. Looking deeper, April 2020 was seven passages above the
5-year average, six above the 10-year average, and three above the
15-year average of ten commercial vessel passages for the
month.
For the total commercial vessel passages during the 2020 season to date,
the Saginaw River has had 14. This is six more passages as compared to
the same period last year. Looking at the averages, 2020 is seven
passages above the 5-year and 10-year averages, which are both seven,
and three passages above the 15-year average of 11 passages for the
year-to-date.
April 27, 2020
Herbert C. Jackson arrived on the Saginaw River on a sunny Monday
morning, calling on the Wirt Sand and Stone dock in Essexville to
unload. Once finished, the Jackson backed down to the
Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates slip to turn and head for the lake on a
cloudy, rain threatening afternoon.
April 26, 2020
Olive L. Moore - Menominee were back on the Saginaw River on Sunday, this
time with a split cargo. The pair stopped at the Wirt Stone dock in Bay
City to offload a partial cargo, then departed for the Wirt Stone Dock
in Saginaw to finish unloading, heading upriver around 6:30pm.
April 25, 2020
American Mariner arrived on the Saginaw River late Saturday afternoon,
backing into the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates slip in Bay City to
unload.
April 24, 2020
The tug Olive L. Moore, with her self-unloading barge, Menominee, arrived
on the Saginaw River on Friday, marking their first visit of the season.
The pair headed upriver, stopping at both the Burroughs/Levy dock in
Zilwaukee and the Lafarge Stone Dock in Saginaw.
April 23, 2020
The John J. Boland arrived on the Saginaw River early Thursday
morning, backing into the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates slip to unload.
This is the first cargo to the Bay Aggregates dock this
season.
April 17, 2020
Mississagi was back on the Saginaw River on Friday, traveling upriver
to unload at the International Materials/GM Dock in Saginaw. This is
the second visit in a week for Mississagi.
April 16, 2020
Iver Bright was inbound on the Saginaw River, just after sunrise on
Thursday morning. She was assisted by the tug Manitou, calling on the
Bit-Mat dock in Bay City.
April 12, 2020
A gloomy Easter Sunday saw the arrival of the Robert S. Pierson to the
Saginaw River. Traveling upriver to unload at the Sargent Dock in
Zilwaukee, this was the Pierson's first visit to the Saginaw River
since October 10, 2016, when they unloaded at the same dock.
Algoma Innovator was inbound on the Saginaw River, just after sunrise
on Saturday morning. She was headed up to the North Star Fertilizer Dock
in Essexville to unload.
April 9, 2020
Mississagi arrived on the Saginaw River late Wednesday night,
traveling upriver to the Sargent dock in Zilwaukee to unload. She
finished and was back outbound, headed for the lake by mid-morning
on Thursday. Mississagi is the first vessel to travel up through the
Bay City Bridges and the first commercial delivery to the upper Saginaw
River this season.
March 18, 2020
The Saginaw River saw her first commercial vessel passage of the 2020
shipping season, with the arrival of the tug Spartan and her tank
barge, Spartan II. The pair arrived late Wednesday morning, calling on
the Port Fisher Dock in Bay City to unload at the Dow/Oxy
unloading connection. The arrival of the Spartan/Spartan II starts the
2020 season three weeks earlier than the 2019 season.
2019 Year End Report
Saginaw River
Saginaw River - Shipping Season Report – 2019
Another strong season of commercial shipping on the Saginaw River is now
in the books. With the close of the 2019 season, traffic numbers
have improved for the third consecutive year, surpassing the totals from
the season before. The total number of commercial vessel passages for
2019 were the highest they have been since the 2008 season. It is
exciting to see the rebound in traffic over the past few seasons, but
I temper that excitement somewhat by looking at 2005, when there were
347 commercial passages during that season – almost twice as many as
in 2019. It is still encouraging to see the improvement however,
especially after the record low numbers set during the 2014 and
2016 seasons. A lot of work is being done by leaders in the industry.
Work at a number of levels, to improve infrastructure, product
diversity, and the economics of doing business on the Saginaw River,
the Great Lakes and beyond. The results of these efforts are
showing dividends, and it is my hope that the gains we are seeing now,
are only the beginnings of even better things to come in the future.
The following is a look back on the information that I have compiled
during the 2019 commercial shipping season here on the Saginaw
River.
The 2019 season officially started on April 8th, with the arrival of
the American Steamship Company vessel, American Integrity, bringing in
a coal cargo for the Consumers Energy Power Plant in Essexville.
This marked the first time in ten years, when the Manitowoc called on
the Wirt Stone Dock in Saginaw to start the 2009 season that the
first commercial delivery of the season was brought in by a lake
freighter and not a tug/barge combo. The season ended with the arrival
of the bitumen tanker, Iver Bright, delivering a cargo of liquid asphalt
to the Bit-Mat dock in Bay City on January 10th, 2020. The 2019 season
on the Saginaw River covered a total of 278 days, five days fewer than
in 2018. The start of the 2019 season was ten days later than in 2018,
with the end of the season five days later than in 2018.
For the 2019 commercial shipping season, there were a grand total of
182 commercial vessel passages on the Saginaw River, representing
an increase of 39 more passages than the 2018 season. These passages
were made by 37 different vessels, representing 15 different companies. Both increases, as there were 30 unique vessels and 14 companies in
2018.
Looking at other numbers from the 2019 season, deliveries were made to
a total of 17 individual docks along the banks of the Saginaw River.
These were the same 17 that received cargo in 2018. The dock seeing
the most vessel traffic in 2019 was the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates Dock
in Bay City, with 42 vessel deliveries. This is four more than
recorded during the previous season. In second and third place
respectively were the Wirt Stone Dock in Saginaw with 31 deliveries and
the Wirt Stone Dock in Bay City with 21 deliveries. Rounding out the
top five are the Lafarge Cement Dock in Essexville with 19 deliveries
and the Consumers Energy Dock in Essexville with 17 deliveries. These
top five docks accounted for 64% of the total commercial vessel
deliveries in 2019. The two largest companies, Fisher Companies and
Wirt, each with multiple docks along the Saginaw River, accounted for
over half of all commercial vessel deliveries with 53%. In all,
accounting for split cargoes by some vessels, which unloaded at two or
more different docks on the same visit, there were 204 deliveries to
the various docks along the Saginaw River. This is 37 more actual
dock deliveries than during the 2018 season.
The Lower Lakes Towing/Grand River Navigation tug, Olive L. Moore,
paired with the self-unloading barge Menominee, regained the title of
“Queen of the Saginaw River”, making the most trips to the river in
2019. The pair logged 35 visits this season, knocking last years
“queen”, Interlake Steamship Company’s tug Dorothy Ann and her
self-unloading barge, Pathfinder, back down to second place with 18
trips. The Olive L. Moore/Menominee has now been the workhorse of
the Saginaw River 13 of the past 14 years. Rounding out the top
five vessels, behind these two workhorse tug/barge combos, were
American Steamship Company’s vessel, H. Lee White with 10, Inland
Lakes Management’s vessel, Alpena with 10, and newcomer to the
Saginaw River, Iver Bright, with 9 visits here during the 2019
season.
The company leading the way with the most cargo deliveries to the
Saginaw River during the 2019 season was Lower Lakes Towing/Grand
River Navigation, with 56 vessel deliveries, and accounting for 31% of
all trips. They have been leading the way on the Saginaw River for 12
of the past 13 years. The American Steamship Company logged the second
most visits, with 46 trips. Coming in third place was the
Interlake Steamship Company with 24 deliveries to the Saginaw River.
These were big increases over the numbers for 2018 as the top two
companies, Lower Lakes/Grand River logged 22 more cargos to the Saginaw River in 2019, and American Steamship logged 11 more. Interlake
Steamship Company saw a slight decline, going from 28 passages in 2018 to
24 in 2019. These three companies accounted for 69% of all deliveries
on the Saginaw River in 2019.
There were a few vessels that were visitors to the Saginaw River in
2018, but did not make a return visit here in 2019, with those
vessels being: the tug Rebecca Lynn – A 397, tug Joseph Thompson, Jr.,
and saltwater vessel Florijngracht. The list of boats that were
not visitors in 2018, but did visit the Saginaw River in 2019
were: American Courage, the BBC boats Plata, Polonia, Louise, and
Leda, Great Republic, Manitoulin, Industrial Strength, Iver Bright, and
the following tug boats: Candice Elise, Nathan S., Madison R.,
Paul Luedtke, Kurt Luedtke, Rochelle Kaye, Meredith Ashton, and Laura
L. Vanenkevort.
Of the above named vessels, Industrial Strength, Iver Bright, BBC
Plata, Polonia, Louise, and Leda all made their first ever visits to
the Saginaw River. Vanenkevort Tug & Barge, Inc.’s new tug, Laura
L, Vanenkevort, also made her first ever Saginaw River visit, paired with
an old Saginaw River regular, the self-unloading barge Joseph H.
Thompson.
There were a few other notable stories during the 2019 season:
- Continuing maintenance dredging of the upper river,
Luedtke Engineering Company out of Frankfort, Michigan was awarded
the contract for the work, hauling mud scows to the disposal area on
the Bay/Saginaw County Line, near Cheboyganing Creek.
- The workhorse Malcolm Marine tug, Manitou, again made numerous
trips from her St. Clair, Michigan home and spent a lot of time on
the Saginaw River, assisting a number of saltwater vessels to and from
the Port Fisher dock, moving dredging equipment to and from the
Saginaw River, and assisting vessels in turning on and safely navigating
the Saginaw River due to strong river currents. Ryba Marine
Construction’s tug, Rochelle Kaye, also spent time here on the
Saginaw River, assisting a few vessels in navigating the river.
- The Port Fisher Dock in Bay City received an increased number
of wind turbine components, by water at its facility, continuing
the presence of foreign flagged cargo ships on the Saginaw River. In
2018, a large majority of the turbine components arrived by truck, but
in 2019, boats again became the primary delivery method.
- The Tall Ship Celebration returned to Bay City in July 2019,
with the Brig Niagara, Pride of Baltimore II, Denis Sullivan,
Bluenose II, Picton Castle, Perception, St. Lawrence II, Madeline,
NAO Santa Maria, and Bay City’s own Appledore IV, and Appledore V tying
up between the Veteran’s Memorial and Wenona Parks for tours.
- A project to restore the Coreyon Reef, located North, Northwest
of the mouth of the Saginaw River, was undertaken during the summer of
2019. Barges of “Sugar Stone” were loaded at the Wirt Stone Dock in
Bay City and taken to the site by the tug Meredith Ashton.
As the shipping industry continues to change and move forward, it is
the hope that the number of trips to the Saginaw River increase and that
the products and materials handled here continue to grow. Hopefully the
New Year will be at least as good as 2019 and will be a safe and
profitable one for everyone.
November 2019
For the month of November 2019, there were a total of 18 commercial
vessel passages on the Saginaw River. The represents an increase of
two vessel passages as compared to November 2018. Looking at longer
term averages, it is again an increase: Four more than the 5-year average
of 14 passages and three more than the 10-year average of 15.
For the year-to-date, as of November 30, 2019, there were a total of
167 commercial vessel passages. This represents a big increase of 31
passages over the same period last year, when there were 136. Looking at
the 5 and 10 year averages, November 2019 was 35 more than the 5-year
average of 132 and 38 passages more than the 10-year average of 129.
So far, the 167 commercial vessel passages in 2019 are the most since the
158 recorded for the entire 2009 shipping season.
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
