Port Reports – December 9, 2023

PORT REPORT  12/9/2023

TWO HARBORS, MINNESOTA-Tom Geiger
12/10/2023  John G. Munson-ETA-8:00 AM

TWO HARBORS-MINNESOTA-EB
Victory / Maumee arrived Two Harbors around 2:30am December 8th after delivering limestone to Duluth-Superior. It appeared that loading commenced around 10am and by about 3:45pm the pair was on their way to Sault Ste Marie, ON with iron ore pellets for Algoma Steel.
Great Republic slipped into Two Harbors at noon and spent the afternoon laying-by on the north side of CN Dock 2, waiting for Victory / Maumee to clear. About an hour and a half after the tug-barge left Two Harbors, Great Republic had shifted berths and was ready at the conveyor shiploaders on the south side of Dock 2. The dock’s loading booms were lowered across the ship’s deck not long after, and an overnight departure was likely.

DULUTH,MINNESOTA-Tom Geiger
12/9/2023  Drawsko-ETA-7:00 PM
12/9/2023  Federal Montreal-ETA-8:00 PM
12/9/2023  Federal Hunter-ETA-11:00 PM
12/10/2023  Philip R. Clarke-ETA-9:00 PM
12/10/2023  American Mariner-ETA-10:00 PM

DULUTH, MINNESOTA-EB
James R Barker continues their stay at Port Terminal berths 8 & 9 in Duluth. Their AIS destination reads Two Harbors but that information might be obsolete. That was their intended loading port before diverting to Duluth for mechanical work; more recent reports had them slated to load at BNSF in Superior once that work is completed, but at this point it’s probably not out of the question to expect them to load at any of western Lake Superior’s iron ore pellet docks whenever they do return to service.
Victory / Maumee departed Duluth a half hour before midnight on December 7th, light for Two Harbors.
Indiana Harbor departed Duluth just after 11am with coal from the Superior Midwest Energy Terminal (SMET) for power plants at St. Clair, MI & Monroe, MI. After the customary exchange of horn salutes with the Aerial Lift Bridge, the thousand-footer’s bridge personnel generously doled out salutes to just about every young bystander they spotted  as they motored out through the Duluth Ship Canal.

SUPERIOR,WISCONSIN-Tom Geiger
12/11/2023  American Century-ETD-12:05AM

SUPERIOR,WISCONSIN-EB
Algoma Discovery departed Superior Entry just before dawn on December 8th with iron ore pellets from BNSF for Hamilton, ON.
Michipicoten arrived Superior from anchor outside the harbor as dawn began to lighten the gloomy cloud-covered skies. They were underway again about an hour after noon with iron ore pellets for Sault Ste Marie, ON.
After spending some time anchored near Marquette MI, possibly due to strong south/southeast winds on eastern Lake Superior, John G Munson was on the move and on track to be approaching western Lake Superior in the mid to late morning of December 9th. There are conflicting clues as to their destination; their past track indicates they’re likely in ballast and best guesses as to loading ports are either Two Harbors or BNSF in Superior.

It appears that a late-season flurry of oceangoing ship activity is on the docket for Duluth-Superior. The vanguard might make its presence known as early as Saturday evening, December 9th, when Canadian-owned, Hong Kong-managed, Marshall Islands-flagged box-hold freighter Federal Montreal and Polish-owned, Maltese-flagged bulker Drawsko (more or less pronounced ‘DRAHF-sko’) will both be approaching Duluth. Federal Montreal is slated to load wheat at CHS, Inc.’s massive Superior, WI grain terminal. Drawsko is due to load what at Ceres Global Ag/Riverland Ag’s modern terminal on the Duluth waterfront. Unknown at this time whether either ship will come directly into port or drop anchor outside the harbor and wait out the weekend before getting in position to load during the coming work week. That sort of sequence of moves is common in the Twin Ports with oceangoing ships showing up to load grain over the weekend, as loading operations come cheapest on weekday daylight hours.

MONROE, MICHIGAN-Bill Kloss
American Century arrived with coal for DTE. Once empty she left for Superior.  Paul R. Tregurtha arrived later Friday night with another load of coal for DTE.

MANITOWOC,WISCONSIN-Tom Geiger
12/9/2023  Saginaw-ETD-1:00AM

TOLEDO, OHIO-Bill Kloss
Prentiss Brown/St.Marys Challenger unloaded a partial load and left for Cleveland. CSL Laurentien arrived to load at CSX. Still in for repairs are Arthur M. Anderson at Hans Hansen and Algoma Niagara at Ironhead Marine.

MARBLEHEAD, OHIO-Bill Kloss
Clyde S.VanEnkevort/Erie Trader loaded limestone at Holcim and departed for a return to Fairport Harbor.

SANDUSKY, OHIO-Bill Kloss
Lee A. Tregurtha loaded coal and departed for Detroit.

CLEVELAND, OHIO-Bill Kloss
Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder took over the shuttles for Cliffs. Arrivals were Sam Laud to unload stone at Osborne and Prentiss Brown/St.Marys Challenger to the SMC Columbus St. terminal. Happy River, Federal Yoshino, Wicko and Fuldaborg are all docked at the Port. Arriving later at night was Dirk S.VanEnkevort/Michigan Trader with 35,000 tons of Tilden pellets for the Bulk Terminal.

LORAIN, OHIO-Bull Kloss
American Courage departed for Port Dolomite.

GRAND RIVER, OHIO – FAIRPORT, OHIO-Bill Kloss
Northern Venture unloaded stone at Osborne then left for Parry Sound, ON.

ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA-Bill Kloss
Once empty, Calumet left for Detroit.

BUFFALO, NEW YORK-Brian Wroblewski
12/8/2023  CSL NIAGARA arrived around 5AM on the 8th from Toledo with a partial coal cargo at Gateway Metroport in Lackawanna. She came in the South Entrance, turned up the Outer Harbor off the CRH terminal, and backed in for the Main Dock. The ship was secured at the bulk loading apron and her boom was swung to the West side of the canal. Portable conveyors fed from the dockside pile by  pay loaders were then used to begin topping her off with more coal.

NANTICOKE, ONTARIO-Bill Kloss
Algoluna departed with petroleum products for Hamilton. Algoterra and Qikiqtaaluk W are loading at Imperial Oil
.
GODERICH, ONTARIO-Bruce Douglas
12/5/2023  Algoma Compass arrived 06:59 Tuesday and loading at Compass Minerals.
12/7/2023   Algoma Intrepid arrived 19:35 Thursday and is tied up along North Pier, expected to load salt next.      Radcliffe Latimer just passed Port Huron and heading upbound for Goderich – probably salt.