Boatnerd News
Port Report – February 5, 2026
Port and vessel activity for Wednesday February 4. Port reports done by Tom Geiger unless otherwise noted. Please send future port reports and pictures to news@boatnerd.net
You can Now visit Matt Miner’s Saltie page at https://boatnerd3.jasonbowlerdesign.com/foreign-vessels-on-the-lakes-2024
The 2025-2026 winter layup list is now up and running at; https://boatnerd3.jasonbowlerdesign.com/winter-lay-up-list-2025-2026/
PORT REPORT 2/5/2026
BECANCOUR, CANADA [CABEC]
2/4/2026 Federal Baltic-ARRIVES-11:17 AM
DUE:
Federal Baltic-DUE-2/4/2026-10:51 AM
Federal Satsuki-DUE-2/8/2026-11:48 PM
Federal Aldter-DUE-2/24/2026-12:17 AM
Federal Sable-DUE-2/24/2026-4:29 AM
NANTICOKE, ONTARIO [CANAN]-Bill Kloss
Algoterra is loading in Nanticoke.
MONROE, MICHIGAN [USMOI]-Bill Kloss
New York/Double Skin 509A is still unloading in Monroe
WINDSOR, CANADA [CAWND]
2/4/2026 Frontenac-DEPARTS-12:46 PM-For-Chicago, Illinois
DUE:
Leo A McArthur-DUE-2/4/2026-9:18 AM
GODERICH, CANADA [CAGOH]
DUE;
Algoma Niagara-DUE-2/5/2026-2:55 AM
Oakglen-DUE-3/1/2026-11:00 AM
Algoma Intrepid-DUE-3/2/2026-5:00 PM
SARNIA,CANADA [CASNI]
2/4/2026 Algoberta-ARRIVES-7:09 AM
2/4/2026 CCGS Judy LaMarsh-ARRIVES-8:19 AM
2/4/2026 CCGS Vincent Massey-ARRIVES-11:01 AM
2/4/2026 Algonova-ARRIVES-11:26 AM
2/4/2026 CCGS Judi LaMarsh-DEPARTS-11:50 AM-For-Sarnia, Canada
2/4/2026 CCGS Judy LaMarsh-ARRIVES-6:55 PM
SOUTH CHICAGO-CALUMET HARBOR, ILLINOIS [USOUS]
DUE:
Frontenac-DUE-2/5/2026-4:00 PM
Today in Great Lakes History – February 5
1870
1870: February 5, 1870 – Captain William H. Le Fleur of the Pere Marquette carferry fleet, known as “the Bear” was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
1972
1972: CHRISTIANE SCHULTE, a West German Seaway trader, went aground at Khidhes Island, Cyprus, while on fire and was abandoned by the crew. The ship was traveling from Lattakia, Syria, to Mersin, Turkey, as b) CITTA DI ALESSANDRIA and was a total loss.
1976
1976: On February 5, 1976, the carferry WOLFE ISLANDER III was inaugurated into service between Kingston and Wolfe Island Ontario. Later that night, two blocks over, a Kingston resident noticed the captain turning off the running lights of the ‘ol WOLFE ISLANDER as she joined her already winterized sister, the UPPER CANADA.
1977
1977: The Israeli freighter TAMAR, a Seaway caller in 1959 and 1961, was gutted by a fire in the Aegean Sea south of Thira Island as c) ATHENA. The vessel, enroute from Mersin, Turkey, to Albania, was towed into Piraeus, Greece, on February 12, 1977. It was a total loss and scrapping began at Eleusis in January 1977
1982
1982: JAMES TRANSPORT [Built-1966 By Davie Shipbuilding LTD. At Lauzon, Canada. Renamed: ENERCHEM TRAVAILLEUR-1986 C-323026, ENERCHEM DOLPHIN-1995-Barbados and DOLPHIN-1996-Barbados] As JAMES TRANSPORT February 5, 1982 she ran aground below Batiscan, in the St. Lawrence, but was released the same day.
1988
1988: ASHLAND, in a critically leaking condition, barely made Mamonel, Colombia, on February 5, 1988, where she was scrapped.
1996
1996: A shipboard fire caused extensive damage to the JEAN PARISIEN docked at the stone docks in Port Colborne. No one was injured in the blaze, which took two hours to extinguish and was the second one on board a ship in two days.
2022
2022: Capt. Gus Markakis passed away peacefully in Boca Raton, Florida on Saturday, February 5, 2022. Born in Greece on December 20, 1937, he was 84 years old.
Data from: Gerry Ouderkirk, Max Hanley, Brian Johnson, Ahoy & Farewell II and the “Great Lakes Ships We Remember” series.
Boatnerd News February 4, 2026
The 2025-2026 winter layup list is now up and running at https://boatnerd3.jasonbowlerdesign.com/winter-lay-up-list-2025-2026
Great Lakes ports study inland waterways cargo expansion
The American Great Lakes Ports Association (AGLPA), including members Ports of Indiana, the Illinois International Port District (IIPD), and Port Milwaukee, in partnership with the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (GLS), announced today that they will begin a comprehensive market analysis aimed at expanding cargo movement between the Great Lakes and inland waterways system
Together, the Great Lakes and inland waterways move close to 700 million tons of cargo each year, supporting critical American industries including steel making, agriculture, energy, manufacturing, and other cargo. At the intersection of these two systems is one of the most important industrial and freight hubs in the U.S. Despite being two of the world’s busiest inland shipping corridors, only a small percentage of cargo currently moves between the Great Lakes and inland rivers.
The study will examine opportunities to increase waterborne commerce by leveraging this river–lake connection, evaluating market demand, identifying promising cargo flows, and exploring the infrastructure and operational needs required to support greater integration.
“In alignment with President Trump and Transportation Secretary Duffy’s commitment to strengthening U.S. supply chains, we recognize that enhancing the connection between the Great Lakes and our inland waterways is a vital step toward securing America’s big and beautiful economic future,” said Mike McCoshen, GLS administrator. “By improving the flow of goods—especially the exports that power the Heartland—we’re not only boosting economic growth today but reinforcing our nation’s long-term competitiveness for generations to come.”
AGLPA President, Capt. Paul C. LaMarre III, said, “For too long, the connection between the Great Lakes and the Inland Waterways has been an underutilized asset in America’s freight network. This study will help identify the cargoes, markets, and infrastructure needed to make river–lake shipping more efficient and commercially viable. AGLPA and our member ports are committed to a data-driven approach that strengthens maritime commerce and reinforces our region’s vital role in the nation’s supply chains.”
The study’s local match is being provided by the three major Lake Michigan ports in Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. These states account for 65% of the economic activity related to U.S. Great Lakes shipping and also handle millions of tons via river barge moving through the Chicago shipping canal and the Mississippi River system.
“We’re excited to join this unprecedented partnership to explore how we can better connect two of the busiest inland shipping corridors in the world,” said Ports of Indiana CEO Jody Peacock. “Maritime transportation can be further leveraged in the mega region formed by Chicago, Milwaukee, and Northwest Indiana to improve freight transportation, lower emissions, reduce highway congestion, and grow economies throughout the Great Lakes and inland waterways systems.”
“The Port of Chicago already moves more than 13 million tons of cargo through the port,” said Erik Varela, executive director of the IIPD. “Increasing river–lake cargo flows would not only create significant economic opportunity for our region and the country but will also do so in the most energy efficient manner.”
“Port Milwaukee is the northern most approved point on the Great Lakes with access to the Inland River System and plays a key role in serving manufacturers, agribusiness, and distributors across the Upper Midwest,” said Benjamin Timm, port director at Port Milwaukee. “This study will help us identify new ways to move cargo efficiently and strengthen our role in the national freight network.”
Conducted by CPCS Transcom Inc. in collaboration with the AGLPA, GLS, and member ports, the study will identify opportunities to expand cargo movements between barges and lake vessels, assess operational and infrastructure needs, and outline strategies to enhance the efficiency and viability of transloading operations.
Conducted by CPCS Transcom Inc. in collaboration with the AGLPA, GLS, and member ports, the study will identify opportunities to expand cargo movements between barges and lake vessels, assess operational and infrastructure needs, and outline strategies to enhance the efficiency and viability of transloading operations. It will also examine how expanded maritime service could improve supply chain reliability, support key industries, create jobs, and relieve pressure on congested highway corridors.
[Marine Log Staff]
Port Report – February 4, 2026
Port and vessel activity for Tuesday February 3. Port reports done by Tom Geiger unless otherwise noted. Please send future port reports and pictures to news@boatnerd.net
You can Now visit Matt Miner’s Saltie page at https://boatnerd3.jasonbowlerdesign.com/foreign-vessels-on-the-lakes-2024
The 2025-2026 winter layup list is now up and running at; https://boatnerd3.jasonbowlerdesign.com/winter-lay-up-list-2025-2026/
PORT REPORT 2/4/2026
BECANCOUR, CANADA [CABEC]
2/3/2026 Federal Trident-DEPARTS-12:53 PM-For-Quebec, Canada
2/3/2026 Mari Galaxy-DEPARTS-5:30 PM-For-Altamira, Mexico
DUE:
Federal Baltic-DUE-2/4/2026-8:52 PM
Federal Satsuki-DUE-2/8/2026-11:48 PM
Stevie-DUE-2/14/2026-9:56 AM
Federal Alster-DUE-2/19/2026-11:35 PM
NANTICOKE, ONTARIO [CANAN]-Bill Kloss
Algoterra arrived at Imperial Oil and Algonova departed for Sarnia.
MONROE, MICHIGAN [USMOI]-Bill Kloss
New York/Double Skin 509A is still unloading at Michigan Paving.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN [USDET]
2/3/2026 Iver Bright-DEPARTS-3:00 PM-For-Sarnia, Canada
WINDSOR, CANADA [CAWND]
2/3/2026 Frontenac-ARRIVES-2:24 PM
GODERICH, CANADA [CAGOH]
2/3/2026 CCCG Judy LaMarsh-ARRIVES-3:19 PM
2/3/2026 CCCG Judy LaMarsh-DEPARTS-3:47 PM-For-[ICE OPS]
2/3/2026 CCGG Judy LaMarsh-ARRIVES-3:59 PM
2/3/2026 Algoma Intrepid-ARRIVES-4:19 PM
2/3/2026 CCCG Judy LaMarsh-DEPARTS-4:41 PM-For-[ICE OPS]
DUE:
Algoma Niagara-DUE-2/4/2026-9:25 AM
Oakglen-DUE-3/1/2026-11:00 AM
Algoma Intrepid-DUE-2/3/2026-11:50 AM
ALGONAC, MICHIGAN [USALG]
2/3/2026 USCG Neah Bay-ARRIVES-7:11 PM
SARNIA,CANADA [CASNI]
2/3/2026 Baltic-ARRIVES-5:29 PM
7/3/2026 Iver Bright-ARRIVES-7:52 PM
DUE:
Algoberta-DUE-2/4/2026-6:04 AM
Algonova-DUE-2/4/2026-12:16 PM
SAULT STE. MARIE [CASSM]
2/3/2026 USCG Katmai Bay-ARRIVES-5:30 PM
2/3/2026 Algocanada-ARRIVES-5:47 PM
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN [USMKE]
2/3/2026 Algoma Niagara-DEPARTS-12:06 AM-For-Goderich, Canada
2/3/2026 Karen Andrie-DEPARTS-4:52 AM-For-Indiana Harbor, Indiana
INDIANA HARBOR-INDIANA [USECH]
2/3/2026 Karen Andrie-ARRIVES-12:35 PM
Today in Great Lakes History – February 4
1870
1870: The Port Huron Weekly Times reported that “a Montreal company has purchased all the standing timber on Walpole Island Indian Reservation [on the St. Clair River…] A large force of men are employed in hewing, cutting and delivering the same on the banks of the river in readiness for shipment… The proceeds of the sale of timber on Walpole Island will probably amount to $18,000 to $20,000, to be distributed among the Indians of the island to improve their farms.
1904
1904: February 4, 1904 – Captain Russell of the PERE MARQUETTE 17 reported that Lake Michigan was frozen all the way to Manitowoc.
1915
1915: IOWA [Built-1872 US-90720 as MENOMINEE by George S Rand at Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Renamed: IOWA-1896 US-100613] As IOWA was crushed in ice off Chicago harbor, Lake Michigan, on February 4, 1915, and sank.
1924
1924: NORTHERN NO. 34 [Built-1919 by Manistee Shipbuilding Co. Manistee, Michigan US-218663] Stranded off False Hook, NJ, February 4, 1924, and became a total loss.
1964
1964: OCEAN REGINA, which would become a Seaway visitor in 1971, ran aground in the Makassar Strait, Indonesia, while enroute from Geraldton, Australia, to China. The ship was refloated February 11.
1965
1965: JAMES B EADS [Built 1894 US-86307 as GLOBE by Globe Iron Works at Cleveland, Ohio. Renamed: JAMES B EADS-1899 US-86307, and JAMES B EADS-1927 C-153216] As JAMES B EADS traverse cranes added in 1961 for package freight handling. Laid up at Port Weller Dry Docks, Ltd., St. Catharines, Ontario, in 1963. Dismantling by A. Newman & Co., Ltd., began on February 4, 1965, at same place.
1965: The Liberty ship IRINI STEFANOU visited the Great Lakes in 1959 and 1960. It struck a reef, 1 mile west of the San Benita Islands, Baja Peninsula and had to be beached. The vessel was enroute from Vancouver, British Columbia, to London, England, with timber. While abandoned, the hull was refloated on February 25 and taken to Los Angeles for examination. They discovered a serious distortion of the hull and it was broken up at Terminal Island.
1970
1970: ARROW, a Liberian tanker quite familiar with Great Lakes trading, stranded in Chedebucto Bay, while inbound from Venezuela to Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia. The ship broke in two as a total loss on February 8 spilling millions of gallons of oil. This resulted in a major environmental problem and clean up took two years and $3.8 million.
1976
1976: A fire aboard the freighter KERKIS broke out in #3 hold off the northern coast of Sicily. The vessel was brought into Milazzo, Italy, the next day and when the hold was opened on February 12, the blaze flared up again. The hull was beached as a total loss. It had begun Seaway trading as a) BYSANZ in 1959 and was back as b) ALSATIA beginning in 1967.
1977
1977: ROGER BLOUGH arrived at the American Shipbuilding Company in Lorain, Ohio for winter lay up and a 5-year hull inspection. She had departed South Chicago after unloading on Jan 25th and the trip took 10 days due to weather and heavy ice.
1981
1981: The two sections of the a.) WILLIAM J. DE LANCEY, b.) PAUL R. TREGURTHA) were joined at Lorain, Ohio by American Ship Building Co. and float-launched on February 4, 1981, (Hull #909).
1984
1984: The former MANCHESTER RENOWN was idle at Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, as c) EDESSA. The ship was being reactivated when a fire broke out and destroyed the upper works. The vessel was sold to Taiwan shipbreakers and arrived at Kaohsiung on April 6, 1984. It had begun Seaway trading as a new ship, in 1964.
1992
1992: PATRICIA was wrecked at Crotone, Italy, and abandoned. The hull was visible years later, partially submerged. The ship began Seaway service as a) RUMBA in 1971 and was back as b) JANJA in 1975, c) JANJE in 1979 and e) FIGARO in 1988.
1999
1999: The former BAUNTON caught fire in #1 hold 350 miles west of Dakar, Senegal, as c) MERSINIA and was abandoned by the crew. The ship, enroute from Abidjan, Ivory Coast, to Amsterdam, Netherlands, with cocoa beans in bulk, was a total loss and was delivered to Spanish shipbreakers at Santander for dismantling on January 21, 2000. It first came through the Seaway in 1981 when it was a year old.
2021
2021: Scrapping was started February 4, 2021 on the long-retired cement carrier/storage vessel J.B. FORD at Azcon Metals in Duluth. J.B. FORD was built in 1904 and last operated in 1985. She was most recently used as a cement storage and transfer vessel at Superior, WI, and sailed in her early years as EDWIN F. HOLMES and E.C. COLLINS.
2025
2025: A fire aboard the Canada Steamship Lines’ motor vessel Frontenac at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding, Sturgeon Bay, WI, has been contained. Multiple fire departments responded to the Tuesday early afternoon call. The fire is believed to have started when a subcontractor was cleaning out the dust collector, part of the self-unloading system. There were no injuries reported
Data from: Skip Gillham, Max Hanley, Brian Bernard, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series.
Boatnerd News February 3, 2026
The 2025-2026 winter layup list is now up and running at https://boatnerd3.jasonbowlerdesign.com/winter-lay-up-list-2025-2026
Last Milwaukee Clipper captain dies at 103
MUSKEGON, MI — Robert Priefer, the last captain of the S.S. Milwaukee Clipper, has died. He was 103. The ship preservation group announced his passing with profound sadness.
He will be deeply missed by every member of the Clipper crew who had the privilege of knowing him, they wrote in a Facebook post. Priefer worked on the ship for over eight decades. Staff say he was instrumental in guiding the ship into the modern era.
When Priefer got a job working aboard the Clipper in 1941, he didn’t truly get off the historic vessel for nearly 30 years. “It’s been part of my family,” said Priefer. The ship is like a step child to me.
Priefer’s assent during his sailing career as quite unique, and in many ways, impossible. His first job aboard the Clipper was as a dishwasher. “I was a Pearl Diver’ Priefer joked. “That’s what the ship’s dishwashers were called back then.”
Every single year Priefer came back to work on the Clipper, he got a promotion. “I never wanted to be a sailor, but my father and brothers were in the shipping industry so it became my calling, too.”
“It was a big deal,” Priefer said.”Back in those days, a trip from Muskegon to Milwaukee was like going from Muskegon to the Caribbean. It was a long distance for a lot of people.”
Priefer was the ship’s captain during its last decade of operation. As one might imagine, he has many memorable stories to share.
“There were times when bad weather arose,” Priefer recalled. “I remember one time there was something coming out of the northeast, the sea was getting rougher, and [the Clipper] dug her nose into a big swell and we took on a couple tons of water.”
‘When you have that much water coming down a confined space, it’s a problem. It poured into the portholes and flooded the club lounge” he said.
With a smirk, Captain Priefer then said, “You don’t want to be a heavy weatherman; they’re all on the bottom of the lake.”
The captain also remembers a couple times when he had to get on the Clipper’s speaker system and yell, “Overboard.” “We had a gal onboard who jumped over the side,” Priefer recalls. “I remember turning the Clipper around and having crewmembers have to go fish her out of the water.”
Priefer added that they managed to rescue her with a lifeboat, got her back onboard, then got back underway to the destination.
Another anecdotal story Captain Priefer likes to share is about when the Clipper’s owner’s dog jumped over the side and into the lake.
“One of my crew notified me that something went overboard,” Priefer said. “We didn’t know what it was, but protocol requires us to turn around and check it out.
“They’d eventually see something splashing in the water and realized it was a dog. “Here’s this dog paddling for Michigan,” Priefer joked. “I didn’t think he’d make it.” Once again, Captain Priefer had to deploy crewmembers aboard a lifeboat.
“The lifeboat was so high out of the water, they couldn’t reach the dog to get him into the boat, so the third mate had to jump into the water, and that allowed the dog to climb right up his back and into the lifeboat.”
So, we saved the dog but almost drowned the third mate.’
[WZZM 13]
Trump’s trade war took a toll on shipments in the Twin Ports last year
By Danielle Kaeding
Cargo shipments at the Port of Duluth-Superior slumped last year due to headwinds driven by unfavorable market trends, shifting trade lanes and President Donald Trump’s trade war.
The amount of cargo moved through the port dropped to 25.3 million tons, declining 14.6 percent from 2024. That’s the lowest tonnage shipped through the port since 1938, according to season end figures released Friday by the Duluth Seaway Port Authority.
Canadian trade dropped 41 percent across all cargoes, and overseas trade fell 30 percent to its lowest level since the St. Lawrence Seaway opened in 1959. The amount of grain moving through the port also dropped to roughly 560,000 tons, the lowest level seen since 1890.
The drop in iron ore shipments played a significant role in the overall decline of cargo at the port.
Iron ore accounts for more than half the port’s cargo every year, with nearly 19.4 million tons transported in 2024. But shipments dropped 15 percent to 16.5 million tons last year. A 2.5 million-ton drop in iron ore exports to Canada made up most of the decline amid President Donald Trump’s tariff war.
The port faced challenges at the season’s outset, said Kevin Beardsley, executive director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority.
“Mines were being idled in the spring before we even started,” Beardsley said. “The auto industry and steelmaking industry were already in a challenging position.”
The U.S. auto industry struggled with the onset of Trump’s tariffs on steel and aluminum, with billions of dollars in losses. The industry heavily relies on iron ore from mines on Minnesota’s Iron Range, and Cleveland-Cliffs idled two mines there early last year.
In December, Algoma Steel in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario also announced it was shutting down its blast furnace and coke-making operations as Trump’s 50 percent tariff on steel imports limited the company’s access to the U.S. market.
Iron ore exports from the Port of Duluth-Superior went to the facility among others to be refined into steel, but port authority officials say they don’t know how much of the 2.5 million-ton drop would’ve gone there.
Canada gets a lot of its iron ore from the Twin Ports, the ore coming from Minnesota’s Iron Range, said Daniel Rust, professor of transportation and logistics management at the University of Wisconsin-Superior.
“When trade wars break out, I believe this is one of those casualties,” Rust said.
A decision by an agribusiness firm also led to shipping declines.
Earlier in the year, the global agribusiness firm CHS, Inc. announced it was closing the port’s largest grain terminal in Superior by the end of August after almost a century in operation. Rust said it was a major blow for grain exports, noting CHS handled most of the port’s grain volume.
Once they stopped, it’s no surprise that those numbers are much lower than they would have been if CHS had continued to operate that facility,” Rust said.
Port authority officials said former importers of grain like Russia are now competing with the Twin Ports. Rust added it makes more economic sense for CHS to move grain by rail for shipment on larger vessels at the Gulf Coast and Pacific Northwest.
As grain shipments fell, the amount of coal shipped also dropped to 4.7 million tons.
“It is all related to changing energy trends and policies,” Jayson Hron, the port authority’s spokesperson, said.
Late last fall, Midwest Energy Resources Company announced the closure of its coal terminal in Superior after nearly 50 years, saying it would not renew its 50-year lease at the end of June. The move comes as utilities have shifted away from coal-fired power plants toward natural gas, wind and solar.
Coal shipments reached a record 22 million short tons in 2008 or roughly half the port’s total tonnage. Since then, they’ve dropped 75 percent.
One bright spot for the port came from break bulk cargoes, which are usually heavy or oversized goods loaded individually on ships. The port saw a strong season for wind turbine components, and it’s moved 2.6 million freight tons since shipments first began in 2005. C. Reiss Company also opened a new bulk cargo terminal in Superior last year.
Also, Amsterdam-based Spliethoff, which has been offering monthly container shipping service, expanded its service between Duluth and the Mediterranean. Rust said he thinks there’s an opportunity to use that service for other cargoes in the future.
“I would anticipate in years to come that the port will lean into that even more,” Rust said. “Hopefully, we’ll see some growth.”
[WPR]
Port Report – February 3, 2026
Port and vessel activity for Monday February 2. Port reports done by Tom Geiger unless otherwise noted. Please send future port reports and pictures to news@boatnerd.net
You can Now visit Matt Miner’s Saltie page at https://boatnerd3.jasonbowlerdesign.com/foreign-vessels-on-the-lakes-2024
The 2025-2026 winter layup list is now up and running at; https://boatnerd3.jasonbowlerdesign.com/winter-lay-up-list-2025-2026/
PORT REPORT 2/3/2026
BECANCOUR, CANADA [CABEC]
2/2/2026 Mari Galaxy-ARRIVES-9:16 AM
DUE:
Federal Baltic-DUE-2/5/2026-4:09 AM
Federal Satsuki-DUE-2/8/2026-11:48 PM
Stevie-DUE-2/14/2026-7:14 PM
Federal Alster-DUE-2/18/2026-9:13 PM
DETROIT, MICHIGAN [USDET]
2/2/2026 Erika Kobasic-ARRIVES-8:36 AM
2/2/2026 Iver Bright-ARRIVES-3:42 PM
WINDSOR, CANADA [CAWND]
DUE:
Frontenac-DUE-2/2/2026-8:00 PM
GODERICH, CANADA [CAGOH]
DUE:
CCGS Judy LaMarsh-DUE-2/3/2026-3:30 AM
Oakglen-DUE-3/1/2026-11:00 AM
Algoma Intrepid-DUE-2/3/2026-10:46 AM
SARNIA,CANADA [CASNI]
2/2/2026 Algocanada-DEPARTS-8:31 AM-For-Sault Sainte Marie, Canada
2/2/2026 Algoterra-DEPARTS-10:05 AM-For-Nanticoke, Canada
2/2/2026 Iver Bright-DEPARTS-10:13 AM-For-Detroit, Michigan
DUE:
BALTIC-DUE-2/3/2026-7:06 AM
Algoberta-DUE-2/4/2026-5:33 PM
CHEBOYGAN, MICHIGAN [USCHG]
2/2/2026 Kimberly Joy-DEPARTS-6:43 AM-For-Cheboygan, Michigan
2/2/2026 Baltic-DEPARTS-8:36 AM-FOR-Sarnia, Canada
2/2/2026 Kimberly-Joy-ARRIVES-8:51 AM
SAULT STE. MARIE [CASSM]
2/2/2026 USCG Katmai Bay-10:34 AM-For-[ICE OPS]
2/2/2026 USCG Katmai Bay-ARRIVES-11:11 AM
2/2/2026 USCG Katmai Bay-DEPARTS-11:29 AM-For-[ICE OPS]
2/2/2026 USCG Katmai Bay-ARRIVES-2:20 PM
2/2/2026 USCG Katmai Bay-DEPARTS-4:45 PM-For-[ICE OPS]
DUE:
Algocanada-DUE-2/3/2026-4:15 AM
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN [USMKE]
2/2/2026 Algoberta-DEPARTS-6:44 AM
2/2/2026 Algoma Niagara-ARRIVES-10:45 AM
2/2/2026 Karen Andrie-ARRIVES-4:51 PM
Today in Great Lakes History – February 3
1883
1883: LILLIE FOX [Built-1866 US-14650 by Daniel Fox of Black River(Lorain), Ohio] As LILLIE FOX was swept into Lake Erie and sunk by freshet and ice in Black River, Lorain, OH, on February 3, 1883. Final enrollment surrendered at Cleveland, OH, June 30, 1884, and endorsed \”vessel lost.\”
1899
1899: On 03 February 1899, the steamer GEORGE FARWELL (wooden propeller freighter, 182 foot, 977 gross tons, built in 1895, at Marine City, Michigan) burned while laid up near Montreal, Quebec. She had just been taken from the Great Lakes by her new owners, the Manhattan Transportation Company, for the Atlantic coastal coal trade, The loss was valued at $50,000 and was fully covered by insurance. The vessel was repaired and lasted until 1906 when she was lost near Cape Henry, Virginia.
1939
1939: LUTZEN came ashore in dense fog at Nauset Beach, Chatham, Mass., off Cape Cod. The vessel rolled over on its side with its cargo of frozen fish and fruit. The small ship had been built at Fort William, (now Thunder Bay) in 1918.
1940
1940: PEARSON [Built-1921 US-221417 by United Fuel & Supply Co. of Detroit, Michigan] Towed from Port Huron, MI, to St. Clair Shores, MI, in July, 1939. Caught fire on February 3, 1940, at foot of Balmy Lane and burned to a total loss.
1960
1960: In 1960, The Ludington Daily News reported that the S.S. AVALON, formerly the S.S. VIRGINIA, had been sold to Everett J. Stotts of Artesia, California.
1970
1970: The tanker GEZINA BROVIG sank 300 miles northeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico. An explosion in the main engine on January 31 blew a piston through the side of the ship and it gradually sank. The vessel had been a Great Lakes trader beginning in 1965.
1981
1981: ARTHUR SIMARD [Built-1973 C-331747 by Marine Industries LTD of Sorel, Canada Renamed: LE CEDRE NO.1 in 1982 C-331747] As ARTHUR SIMARD: Grounded in St. Lawrence River, February 2, 1981, bound from Montreal for Seven Island with cargo of diesel oil, suffering extensive bottom damage. Part of cargo unloaded at Three Rivers, P.Q., and part transshipped in CHEMICAL TRANSPORT.
1993
1993: The former Spanish freighter MARTA, a Seaway trader in 1981, was sailing as b) PROSPERITY when it began leaking in a storm. The ship subsequently broke in two and sank with the loss of 5 lives. The vessel went down 120 miles west of Sri Lanka while enroute from Jordan to Madras, India.
1996
1996: An engine room fire aboard the C.S.L. self-unloader JEAN PARISIEN at Port Colborne resulted in about $250,000 in damage.
Data from: Skip Gillham, Max Hanley, Joe Barr, Father Dowling Collection and the Historical Collections of the Great Lakes.
Boatnerd News February 2, 2026
The 2025-2026 winter layup list is now up and running at https://boatnerd3.jasonbowlerdesign.com/winter-lay-up-list-2025-2026
Lakers convey crucial commodity to salt-starved Escanaba
ESCANABA, MI – Last week, the Canadian freighter Algoma Intrepid,
accompanied by an icebreaking tug, chugged into Little Bay de Noc and
delivered a massive load of salt to an Escanaba dock.
The buzz about the impending arrival of the boats caused excitement in
the area. For one, with a nearly fully-frozen bay, some ice anglers
were disgruntled that their activities were being disrupted. For
another, a visit from a 650-foot-long freighter is worth recognizing.
The deepwater port of Escanaba used to see more shipping traffic when
the town was host to multiple ore docks and various industries boomed.
The harbor had six ore docks at one time, and in the 1980s, Escanaba
was the busiest iron port in the world. Ore was shipped by rail to
Escanaba from multiple mines in the region and then loaded onto boats
for delivery elsewhere. Lumber and coal were heavily trafficked, too.
In modern day, the commodities and demand have changed. The mines that
flourished a century ago are closed. Canadian National Railroad
stopped using Escanaba’s last iron ore dock in 2017.
But the age of the freighter is not done.
The behemoths that are lake freighters still shuttle cargo across the
Great Lakes, enthralling fans who track, watch and photograph the
massive vessels. Ships are still an essential form of commercial
transport.
One company in particular has made a business of shipping resources in
bulk in these waters for close to century and a half. It was their
dock in Escanaba that received the 19,000-net-ton delivery of rock
salt from Goderich, Ont. on Jan. 23.
The C. Reiss Coal Company was founded in Sheboygan, Wis. by German
immigrant Clemens Reiss in 1880. In the early days of the company,
shipments were transported by schooner. Reiss dealt in coal, wood,
salt, and building materials. For a while, a subsidiary called the
Reiss Steamship Company also operated in the area.
The company has long had docks in Escanaba; in 1913, an addition was
built onto the existing Reiss coal dock in Esky.
About 50,000 tons of coal are handled at the present Escanaba coal
dock owned by the the business now known as The C. Reiss Company,
relayed CEO Keith Haselhoff. The salt dock near the mouth of the
Escanaba River — which is where the Algoma Intrepid delivered its
enormous load last Friday — handles approximately 100,000 tons of road
salt every year, weather-dependent, he said.
C. Reiss also has locations in Duluth, Minn.; Superior, Wis.; Ashland,
Wis.; Green Bay, Wis.; and Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.
The Algoma Intrepid, a six-year-old self-discharging bulk carrier
built in Croatia, flies under the Canadian flag. Owned by the Algoma
Central Corporation, it belongs to the Equinox class and has a
carrying capacity of 25,019 tons deadweight. The freighter frequents
Goderich, Ont. — home to the largest underground salt mine in the
world.
Goderich had been the Intrepid’s previous stop before Escanaba. There,
salt is mined by a customer of the C. Reiss Company.
The delivery that reached Escanaba on Jan. 23 was 19,000 net tons of
rock salt ready to hit roads.
At the dock, “we facilitate the vessel being offloaded, we maintain
the piles in accordance with all rules, laws, and regulations, and
then we load the trucks with the salt for delivery to the customer’s
storage building,” said Haselhoff. “Most of the salt is contracted to
go to municipalities including the state, counties, townships, and
cities. This salt makes it throughout much of the Upper Peninsula as
far west as Ironwood, east to Seney and north to Copper Harbor.”
As the area is currently in the midst of a frigid winter and the lakes
are becoming more and more solid by the day, the ship did not travel
alone along its icy route. A series of cutters have been accompanying
the Intrepid and other freighters, helping to forge paths and clear
buildup.
As the monstrous freighter unloaded mountains of salt at the Reiss
dock in Escanaba, the Jimmy L danced at its side, reminiscent of a
remora on a shark.
A 110-foot icebreaking tug, the Jimmy L is no small fish, though. It
was built in 1939 and served the U.S. Coast Guard under the name
Naugatuck for many years. It was the first Coast Guard vessel to
arrive on scene to search for the Edmund Fitzgerald after the fateful
storm of November 1975.
After being decommissioned in ’79, the Naugatuck became the Timmy B
for about 15 years. The tug has been the Jimmy L since 1994 and calls
Sturgeon Bay, Wis. home.
Other icebreakers, both private and Coast Guard vessels, also assisted
in escorting the Intrepid.
The Coast Guard Cutter Mobile Bay, also out of Sturgeon Bay, was
another big help on this part of Lake Michigan.
A couple days later, after the Intrepid departed Escanaba and set off
once again for Goderich, the USCGC Mackinaw helped it get through a
frozen passage near Beaver Island.
“The cutter arrived on the scene and made passes through the
surrounding ice to free the vessel and assist it back to navigable
waters. … This mission was completed in support of Operation Taconite,
a Great Lakes ice-breaking mission focused on safeguarding lives while
ensuring the efficient movement of vessels during the icy conditions,”
wrote the Coast Guard on the morning of Jan. 25.
After its most recent stop in Goderich on Lake Huron, the Intrepid set
off on another journey on the morning of Jan. 30 and is now bound for
Milwaukee, where it was due to arrive on Feb. 2.
[Escanaba Daily Press]
Port Report – February 2, 2026
Port and vessel activity for Sunday February 1. Port reports done by Tom Geiger unless otherwise noted. Please send future port reports and pictures to news@boatnerd.net
You can Now visit Matt Miner’s Saltie page at https://boatnerd3.jasonbowlerdesign.com/foreign-vessels-on-the-lakes-2024
The 2025-2026 winter layup list is now up and running at; https://boatnerd3.jasonbowlerdesign.com/winter-lay-up-list-2025-2026/
PORT REPORT 2/2/2026
BECANCOUR, CANADA [CABEC]
DUE:
Federal Baltic-DUE-2/3/2026-8:49 PM
Federal Satsuki-DUE-2/8/2026-11:48 PM
Federal Alster-DUE-2/19/2026-9:11 AM
NANTICOKE, ONTARIO [CANAN]-Bill Kloss
Nanticoke (CANAN): Algonova arrived at Imperial Oil.
DUE:
Algoterra-DUE-2/1/2026-7:22 PM
DETROIT, MICHIGAN [USDET]
DUE:
Erika Kobasic-DUE-2/2/2026-7:42 AM
WINDSOR, CANADA [CAWND]
2/1/2026 USCG Neah Bay-ARRIVES-9:01 AM
2/1/2026 USCG Neah Bay-DEPARTS-10:29 AM-For-[ICE OPS]
DUE:
Frontenac-DUE-2/2/2026-5:00 PM
GODERICH, CANADA [CAGOH]
DUE:
Oakglen-DUE-3/1/2026-11:00 AM
ROGERS CITY [USRCY]
Kimberly Joy-DUE-2/1/2026-9:35 AM
CHEBOYGAN, MICHIGAN [USCHG]
2/1/2026 Kimberly Joy-DEPARTS-6:16 AM-For-Cheboygan, Michigan
2/1/2026 Kimberly Joy-ARRIVES-6:57 AM
2/1/2026 Kimberly Joy-DEPARTS-7:57 AM-For-Cheboygan, Michigan
2/1/2026 Baltic-ARRIVES-8:28 AM
2/1/2026 Kimberly Joy-ARRIVES-8:29 AM
SAULT STE. MARIE [CASSM]
DUE:
Algocanada-DUE-2/2/2026-6:13 AM
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN [USMKE]
2/1/2026 Algoma Intrepid-ARRIVES-5:36 AM
2/1/2026 Algoberta-ARRIVES-8:02 AM
DUE:
Karen Andrie-DUE-2/2/2026-1:11 AM
Algoma Niagara-DUE-2/2/2026-1:17 PM
INDIANA HARBOR-INDIANA [USECH]
2/1/2026 Karen Andrie-DEPARTS-1:09 PM-For-Milwaukee, Wisconsin
