Port and vessel activity from February 25, 2023, unless stated otherwise. Please send future port reports to news@boatnerd.net.
St. Marys River – Joshua Hebeisen
USCGC Mobile Bay spent Friday night sleeping away at anchor in the vicinity of the Twin Island Nature Preserve, eventually waking up Saturday to the tune of her 07:00 alarm and continuing farther up the river. The mighty little tug reached the Soo late morning obscured by a late winter snowfall and immediately went to work breaking ice near the ferry dock at Mission Point. Several passes later, the cutter and her crew were headed for the warmth of U.S. Coast Guard Station Sault Ste. Marie. Mobile Bay now rests tied up adjacent to sister USCGC Katmai Bay awaiting her next mission.
St. Ignace, MI – Joshua Hebeisen
The Coast Guard dock was left empty for some time on Saturday as USCGC Biscayne Bay went to break ice in the Straits of Mackinac. Departing her berth at 08:28, the Bay-class tug and her water bubblers helped tanker Algonova on her westbound way and later cleared a path for the eventual transit of Algoma Conveyor. Biscayne Bay returned home at 18:29 almost exactly 10 hours from when she left. Both Algonova and Conveyor are due in Milwaukee, WI, over the next few days with petroleum products and salt, respectively.
Calumet Harbor, IL – Joshua Hebeisen
More Lake Michigan action took place Saturday farther to the south, with Algoma Innovator arriving the Calumet River at 09:54 with salt from Goderich, ON. G-tug Massachusetts escorted the laker down to her berth at the export dock where unloading soon commenced. The pair would once again work together later in the evening as an empty Innovator backed out to leave at 21:48; AIS has not yet updated to reflect her next destination as of Saturday night.
Port Huron, MI – Sarnia, ON – Joshua Hebeisen
Iver Bright kicked off another southbound run of Suncor product around 07:00 Saturday, this time headed downbound for discharge at Detroit, MI. CCGS Judy LaMarsh kept the action going with a 09:00 departure from the Government Dock headed upbound for Goderich, ON, where the new icebreaking-class tug will presumably be doing just that in the harbor. The day’s last official port call was made at 15:13 by tanker Algoterra. Arriving from Nanticoke, ON, with petroleum products from Imperial Oil, she tied up at the company’s Sarnia lower dock to unload. CCGS Samuel Risley sits at anchor in the lake after conducting some overnight science experiments. Her AIS still reads “SCIENCE HURON.”
Detroit, MI – Windsor, ON – Joshua Hebeisen
Iver Bright slipped into the Motor City around noon for a date at the Mistersky Fuel Dock.
Lake Erie Ports – Bill Kloss
Algocanada departed with gasoline for Milwaukee. Fleetmate Algosea is loading at Imperial Oil in Nanticoke. McKeil’s Harvest Spirit is loading steel coils at Stelco. Leonard M and her barge Huron Spirit arrived in Cleveland, unloaded steel coils at the Port, then departed for Sault Ste. Marie. Tug John Francis arrived in Cleveland from Toledo.
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- Yes, there is a boat in this picture! David Kaye image, February 25
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- USCGC Mobile Bay emerges from the snow at Mission Point in Sault Ste. Marie, MI. David Kaye image, February 25
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- Sailing past to break up ice in the channel. David Kaye image, February 25
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- Turning around for another pass. David Kaye image, February 25
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- The snow dies down for her second attempt. David Kaye image, February 25
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- There she goes! David Kaye image, February 25