Port Reports – December 6, 2022

Unless where otherwise noted, port and vessel activity from December 5, 2022. Please send future port reports to news@boatnerd.net.

Duluth, MN – Superior, WI – Joshua Hebeisen
Party’s over… In an overnight exodus from the anchorage as weather forecasts improved, James R. Barker, Joseph L. Block, and Arthur M. Anderson got underway for Indiana Harbor, Cleveland, and Two Harbors, respectively. The Barker and Block were each loaded with taconite pellets, while the Anderson was headed for a load of her own two hours to the north.

Traffic within the confines of the harbor remained quiet until USCGC Spar left her Coast Guard station berth around 16:00. After tending to buoys in the bay in preparation for the upcoming winter freeze, the cutter would depart beneath the Aerial Lift Bridge at 19:36 en route to the town of Windigo on Isle Royale. Philip R. Clarke and her festive pilothouse departed on the same bridge lift with a load of CN 6 taconite for Gary.

#1 and #13 would both make appearances on opposite sides of the harbor late Monday evening. Stewart J. Cort arrived Superior for her weekly load of ore at 21:08, and Paul R. Tregurtha was inbound Duluth an hour later on her own typical run to SMET. First up, however, would be a trip to the port terminal to take a delay overnight.

Two Harbors, MN – Joshua Hebeisen
A trio of Great Lakes Fleet veterans took to the shiploader in Agate Bay on Monday for late-season loads of Minntac taconite. The first pair of the triumvirate featured both a triple-A and thousand-footer, with Arthur M. Anderson waiting patiently out on the lake as Edwin H. Gott cleared at 06:00 for Gary. Anderson would come in less than 30 minutes later and head back out for Nanticoke at 14:55. A 22:07 trip inbound for Presque Isle would see the integrated tug/barge take her place under the conveyors after a weather-induced trip down the northern shoreline. 

Marquette, MI – Oggdo Bogdo
Hon. James L. Oberstar departed for Dearborn at 06:27, and was replaced by the striped Wilfred Sykes at 06:57. It’s the Sykes’ second visit of the nearly-complete season, though it sounds as though at least one more trip could be in the works. Atypical routes become commonplace during the waning weeks of the year. Speaking of atypical routes, the rare John J. Boland departed at 12:15 for Cleveland. The Sykes would eventually follow suit and become the third ship to depart Marquette on Monday, at 18:31, destined for Indiana Harbor. It seems to me like they could have fit a fourth ship in there somewhere, but that’s neither here nor there. Looking ahead, the Victory/Maumee will be back on Tuesday.

Southern Lake Michigan Ports – Andrew Meyer
Chicago, IL: Bradshaw McKee made departure with her barge at 2030 on Monday evening. In port are two salties- frequent Chicago visitor Finnborg and the Sider London- I’m thinking she’s been on the lakes before, I know other vessels in that fleet have been. Either way, not a frequent seaway visitor.
Indiana Harbor, IN: It’s been mostly tugs keeping the port of Indiana Harbor busy, with the exception of the Algoma Sault, making an arrival at 0300 on Sunday morning in what would certainly be put into the rare bracket of arrivals. Her departure time is unknown, but she’s been in port for two days at the time of this writing. Hometown gal Indiana Harbor due to make port early Tuesday. 
Gary, IN: Great Republic made port at 0550 on Sunday morning, and would be out eight hours later, only to be replaced by the John G. Munson a very short time later. The Munson would have a relatively similar turnaround time, departing just before 0300 Monday morning.
Burns Harbor, IN: The last two days have seen some diverse traffic in port, with the Federal Frontier making an appearance on Sunday evening at 1819. Dorothy Ann and her barge Pathfinder made port at 0736 Monday, followed 20 minutes later by the Burns Harbor, whose weekly appearances continue from BN5. Kaye E. Barker is due Tuesday night. 

Manistee, MI – Chris Franckowiak
MANITOWOC was upbound in Lake Huron Monday afternoon, staying close to the Michigan shoreline due to wind. She is due to arrive Manistee Tuesday around noon. She will discharge coal from Toledo, OH at the TES – Filer City dock.

Goderich, ON – Bruce Douglas
Algoma Innovator cleared 09.42 Sunday upbound for Duluth with salt. Algoma Intrepid cleared 10.50 Monday upbound for Milwaukee with salt. Algoma Buffalo arrived 12.09 Monday loading at Compass Minerals.

Calcite, MI – Andrew Meyer
Limestone is still moving, though not as much of it, through Calcite. Kaye Barker was the most recent of those movements, arriving at 0421 to load stone for Burns Harbor. H. Lee White is expected either after the Barker finishes or sometime overnight.

Lake Erie Ports – Bill Kloss
Monroe, MI: New York/Double Skin 509A is still at the Port dock.
Toledo, OH: Departures were Cuyahoga for Windsor, ON Sam Laud for Detroit, Rt. Hon. Paul J. Martin for Stoneport and Caroline McKee/Commander and Leonard M/Huron Spirit, both for Cleveland. In port are Verila at Midwest and Federal St. Laurent.
Marblehead, OH: Calumet arrived at 09:52. She is loading stone at Holcim.
Cleveland, OH: Calumet departed for Marblehead. Caroline McKee/Commander and Leonard M/Huron Spirit both arrived from Toledo. Caroline McKee/Commander only had a partial cargo to unload and departed at 12:52 for a return to Toledo. Leonard M/Huron Spirit went to dock 24W at the Port to unload steel coils. Other departures were American Courage to Marblehead at 17:51 and Leonard M/Huron Spirit to Nanticoke at 20:18.
Buffalo, NY: CSL Niagara arrived at 02:50.
Nanticoke, OH: Algoterra and Algoma Hansa are at Imperial Oil while Algosea and Algonorth remain anchored.

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.