Port Reports – December 19, 2022

Unless where otherwise noted, port and vessel activity from December 18, 2022. Please send future port reports to news@boatnerd.net.

Duluth, MN – Superior, WI – Joshua Hebeisen
With finals week over, let’s get caught up with Twin Ports traffic over the past week…

Monday, December 12 
When we last left off, mighty Queen of the Lakes Paul R. Tregurtha was fueling up alongside Superior Refining following a late-night arrival on the 11th. The early-morning hours of the 12th would see her cast off around 01:00 and make the familiar trek down to SMET for a load of coal. What would be a very busy day of activity in port resumed shortly as Indiana Harbor pulled away from CN Dock 6 and began making her way up the harbor, all filled up with a load of pellets destined for her namesake port. Her 03:54 departure would be followed just minutes later by the arrival of Joseph L. Block, coming in from anchor to take her place at the CN shiploader. American Integrity would close out morning traffic at quite literally the last minute with an 11:59 Superior departure from BNSF Dock 5. Her next destination would be Burns Harbor.

At 13:25, Paul R. Tregurtha departed Duluth on her usual run with a split load of coal for St. Clair and Monroe. Fellow American Shipbuilding alum American Spirit would be inbound in approximately 30 minutes for fuel, later making her way to CN 6 after the Joe Block cleared for Cleveland at 18:01. Stewart J. Cort and CSL Niagara came off the lake after 14:00, with the former formally arriving Superior at 14:38 for BNSF and the latter setting up shop in the anchorage. John J. Boland arrived Duluth at 15:42 for SMET, followed inbound six hours later by Philip R. Clarke with limestone from Calcite.

Tuesday, December 13
The Boland left town at 03:08 with petroleum products for Alpena, and appears to be due back in port again this week (19th) on another somewhat uncommon visit. Over in Superior, Clyde S. VanEnkevort/Erie Trader joined CSL Niagara in the anchorage at 04:00, but would soon be left to her lonesome when the Canadian hauled up the hook and headed inbound at 06:20. Stewart J. Cort had cleared the piers 30 minutes earlier for, of course, Burns Harbor. However, her journey across the lake would soon be interrupted by the onset of a nasty winter weather system that dumped parts of the Twin Ports in two feet of snow…

After discharging her stone cargo at CN-Hallett Dock 5, Philip R. Clarke shifted over to the CN gravity dock around 07:00 to wait her turn for the shiploader. A trio of vessels seeking shelter from the storm later in the evening included Presque Isle, going to anchor off Superior at 14:30; Mesabi Miner, cozying up at the port terminal for some rest; and CSL Assiniboine, joining the party in the southern-side anchorage.

Wednesday, December 14 
At 04:00, Joyce L. VanEnkevort/Great Lakes Trader would come off an angry lake to make a quartet of vessels swinging on the hook off Superior. Annoyed by her sister, or perhaps just seeking a little more shelter, Clyde and her barge would head inbound the entry at 08:46 and head up to the seldom-used Duluth inner anchorage. American Spirit finished up at CN 6 in the early afternoon and went to lay-by at SMET – a rare sight for her – allowing Philip R. Clarke to pull up and begin loading at the CN shiploader.

Thursday, December 15 
Winter weather conditions improved enough by midday Thursday for the boats to resume going about their business. CSL Niagara departed at 11:41 for Nanticoke, allowing Clyde/Trader to make the journey back down the harbor and take their turn at BNSF. The Clarke steamed out of Duluth at 18:18 with Minntac for Nanticoke, Mesabi Miner pulled out of her berth at the port terminal to take over at CN, and American Spirit cleared at 22:22 for a trip to Algoma Steel.

Friday, December 16
The Superior relay continued Friday morning with ATB Clyde S. VanEnkevort/Erie Trader yielding to ITB Presque Isle around 06:00. Clyde will be pushing Trader all the way to Toledo. Duluth would trade out a pair of salties soon after, with Humbergracht arriving at 05:56 to unload containerized quartz and door cores at the port terminal and Ebroborg departing at 07:43 from Viterra with beet pulp for Europe. Mesabi Miner made a snowy exit at 12:50 for Cleveland, allowing the anchored CSL Assiniboine to sail up the length of Minnesota Point and arrive 20 minutes later. The Canadian laker, making her first trip beneath the Aerial Lift Bridge this season, took over for the Miner at CN.

A speedy unload at the port terminal resulted in Humbergracht getting back underway midafternoon, departing at 14:51 to head out the Seaway. American Century arrived Duluth at 20:57 to load coal at SMET, Presque Isle departed Superior at 23:22 for Nanticoke, and Mark W. Barker followed Century inbound at 23:36 to take a drink of fuel.

Saturday, December 17 
Presque Isle’s departure late the night before made way for Joyce L. VanEnkevort/Great Lakes Trader to proceed inbound Superior at 00:17. They would spend the next 24 hours loading at BNSF. USCGC Spar returned home at 08:03 after tending to buoys on Lakes Superior, Huron, and Michigan. The hardworking cutter would arrive Superior rather than Duluth, however, in order to break some ice in the harbor while making her way up to the Coast Guard station.

The remainder of the day’s vessel passages would take place in Duluth, beginning at 10:30 as American Century departed with coal for St. Clair. Algoma Intrepid was inbound at 13:46 from Goderich with more salt – desperately needed after the week’s weather storm – for Superior’s EnviroTech-Hallett Dock 8. She would unload fast and head back out for Thunder Bay before midnight. In the meantime, CSL Assiniboine departed at 20:18, allowing Mark W. Barker to slide on down to CN 6.

Sunday, December 18 
Joyce L. VanEnkevort/Great Lakes Trader finally gave BNSF some rest after a busy week when the pair departed for Toledo at 01:42. Mark W. Barker would depart for Cleveland at 17:58, soon to be followed in by big brother James R. Barker about 15 minutes later.

Jamno spent the entire week at CHS loading wheat.

St. Joseph – Benton Harbor, MI – Michael Moran
No arrivals were recorded last week.

Goderich, ON – Bruce Douglas
Algoma Buffalo cleared 00.21 Saturday downbound for Erie, PA with salt. Algoma Innovator cleared 06.02 Sunday downbound with salt.

Saginaw River, MI – Todd Shorkey
Sunday afternoon saw Happy River inbound on the Saginaw River, making her third visit of the season to the Port Fisher Terminals Dock in Bay City. She was assisted by the Great Lakes Towing tug, Pennsylvania.

Lake Erie Ports – Bill Kloss
Boats are at anchor at various spots on Lake Erie. Philip R. Clarke, due at Nanticoke, is anchored off of Point Pelee. Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder, due at Fairport Harbor, is anchored off of Cedar Point. CSL St. Laurent, headed to Montreal, and CSL Tadoussac, bound for Detroit, are anchored off of Port Dover. Anchored in the lake south of Port Colborne are Federal Dee, headed to Ashtabula and Algosea, loaded for Quebec.

While we do not currently have daily write-ups for the following ports, their respective port authority websites post schedules of vessel traffic that are embedded below. Each schedule takes the form of a miniature webpage within a box – scroll with your cursor within the box (or slide your finger within the box on a mobile device) to move through the schedule as you would a normal webpage. To move up or down the actual Port Reports page itself, make sure your cursor/finger is outside of the box.

Green Bay, WI – Port of Green Bay
Click on vessel image for voyage info.

Hamilton, ON – Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority
Scroll past AIS map for arrival/departure schedule.