Port Report Archive: Port Reports – July 9, 2023

Port and vessel activity from Saturday, July 8, 2023, unless stated otherwise. Please send future port reports to news@boatnerd.net.

Duluth, MN – Superior, WI – Scott Bjorklund
Duluth Entry
Joseph L. Block departed Duluth at 08:05 (Central) Friday morning empty for Silver Bay. After both vessels loaded at CN#6, Arthur M. Anderson and Michipicoten departed under the same lift with iron ore at 15:29 and 15:34. The Anderson’s load was destined for Cleveland, and Michipicoten was heading to Sault Ste. Marie. Indiana Harbor arrived in Duluth early Saturday morning at 02:19 to load iron ore pellets at CN#6. As of Saturday night, Indiana Harbor was still loading at CN. Dirk S. VanEnkevort is expected Saturday night with limestone for C. Reiss; they will most likely depart Sunday morning empty for Silver Bay. American Century is expected Sunday morning to fuel at Duluth Marine Terminal before leaving empty for Two Harbors. Finally, Mesabi Miner is expected later Sunday night to load iron ore pellets at CN.

Superior Entry
CSL Tadoussac departed at 04:41 (Central) Friday morning with iron ore pellets for Nanticoke. Spruceglen arrived at 05:31 to load next at BNSF; they departed at 22:57 for Quebec City. Burns Harbor arrived to load at 23:36. As of Saturday night, Burns Harbor was still loading at BNSF. They are expected to depart early Sunday with iron ore pellets. CSL Niagara will arrive from anchor next followed by Stewart J. Cort.

Thunder Bay, ON – Joshua Hebeisen
After a lazy start to the weekend on Saturday morning, Harvest Spirit got the T-Bay action started with a 13:57 afternoon departure from Viterra A. McKeil’s ex-saltie is bound for Windsor, ON, and what figures to be a date with the local ADM elevator. At 17:52, the Cyprus-flagged visitor Andean entered the lower harbor, spun around, and put it in reverse all the way to the MobilEx terminal, where she will likely be loading product of some kind. Viking Octantis cast off from her berth at Pool 6 around 20:00 to begin a luxurious voyage to Battle Island farther up the Canadian shoreline.

Vessels remaining in port throughout the day included Eider at Keefer Terminal and Federal Biscay at Thunder Bay Terminals.

Sturgeon Bay, WI – Joshua Hebeisen
Laura L. VanEnkevort/Joseph H. Thompson quietly arrived Bay Shipbuilding at 15:45 on Wednesday, July 5, with an uncertain future ahead. After sailing inbound through the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal with a salute, the pair tied up along the dock facing and eventually decoupled. The VanEnkevort’s AIS signal has been inactive since. American Bureau of Shipping records indicate that the 1944-built Thompson is due for her five-year survey, though waterfront scuttlebutt suggests lay-up may be a possibility as well. In any case, the combo figures to sit idle for the foreseeable future.

Grand Haven, MI – Noah H.
Joyce L. VanEnkevort/Great Lakes Trader arrived Grand Haven just after midnight on Saturday morning, coming in at 00:08. If that port of call sounds unusual for the duo, that’s because it is: this is the first arrival for them since 2002. Despite the rarity of the occasion, things proceeded at a nice rate; unloading of aggregate from Bruce Mines at Verplank was finished by 12:28 and the pair departed for Port Inland. Next was the striped pyramid, Great Republic, making a visit in the late evening on Saturday, her first Grand Haven trip of the season. After her entry through the piers at about 21:00, she made her way to the Verplank dock to unload stone from Port Inland. Last season, Great Republic made about a half dozen trips to Grand Haven, but her first didn’t come until mid-July. Perhaps this is a sign of an uptick in arrivals in the near future.

Muskegon, MI – Noah H.
G.L. Ostrander brought cement to the Holcim dock at 19:19. The pairing of the Ostrander and her barge Integrity has been a frequent visitor this season. River-class vessel Manitowoc is on her way to Muskegon, due on Sunday.

Saginaw River, MI – Todd Shorkey
There were a total of 16 commercial vessel passages on the Saginaw River for the month of June 2023, with 11 different docks receiving 24 separate deliveries of product, accounting for split cargos delivered to multiple docks. This represents ten fewer passages than in June 2022, and is less than the 5-year average of 23 passages, the 10-year average of 21, and the 15-year average of 21 vessel passages.

For the total number of commercial vessel passages for the year-to-date, there have been 53. This number is less than the total from last year at this point by six passages. Looking at the averages, it is also a decrease compared to the 5-year average of 56 passages, but an increase over the 10-year average of 47 passages, and the 15-year average also of 47 vessel passages.

Recently, Mark W. Barker was at the Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates Dock in Bay City to unload on July 4.

Lake Erie Ports – Bill Kloss
Monroe, MI: Paul R. Tregurtha has coal for DTE. The footer left for Superior once empty. Fleetmate Lee A. Tregurtha weighed anchor and moved to DTE and unloaded more black diamonds, then left for Calcite.
Toledo, OH: Atlantic Huron departed to Hamilton. Arrivals were Victory/Maumee to Torco, Prentiss Brown/St. Marys Challenger to St. Marys with cement, Clyde S. VanEnkevort/Erie Trader to Ironville with ore and H. Lee White to Midwest Terminals. Saginaw is at Kuhlman’s.
Marblehead, OH: American Courage departed for Fairport Harbor. Mark W. Barker was next to load. She left for Marysville, MI after loading.
Cleveland, OH: Arriving were Wilfred Sykes with stone for Cliffs, American Courage to the Bulk Terminal to load a shuttle and Algoma Buffalo anchored in Lake Erie. She’ll go to Cargill for salt once Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder clears. The Interlake tug and barge loaded salt for Detroit. New York/Double Skin 509A is at Marathon. Flevogracht departed for Thunder Bay.
Fairport Harbor, OH: American Courage unloaded a partial stone load at Osborne, then delivered the remainder to Ashtabula, leaving for Cleveland once empty.
Ashtabula, OH: Blacky is at the Pinney dock.
Nanticoke, ON: Algotitan and Algocanada are both loading at Imperial Oil and Algoma Niagara is unloading at Stelco.

We do not currently have daily summaries for the following ports, but their respective port authority websites post schedules of vessel traffic that are featured below. Each schedule is a miniature webpage within a box. Scroll with your cursor in 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.

: Arthur M. Anderson pulls away from CN Dock 6 with Michipicoten preparing to follow in her wake. David Schauer (Duluth, MN – July 7)

: The 1952-built veterans make their way outbound the harbor. Adam Bjornberg (Duluth, MN – July 7)

: It’s a twofer beneath the bridge! David Schauer (Duluth, MN – July 7)

: A cool summer sunrise sets in over the lake as Tim S. Dool loads at BNSF Dock 5. CSL Tadoussac waits at anchor. David Schauer (Superior, WI – July 6)

: The Dool clears for Hamilton, ON, as the Taddy Daddy lines up to take her spot. David Schauer (Superior, WI – July 6)

: Once a rarer sight in the Twin Ports, CSL’s Spruceglen has been making increasingly frequent visits to the Wisconsin side of the harbor this season. David Schauer (Superior, WI – July 7)

: Laura L. VanEnkevort/Joseph H. Thompson arrive Bay Shipbuilding with an unclear future. Gary Cihlar (Sturgeon Bay, WI – July 5)

: Tug and barge are separated. Matt Tomasek (Sturgeon Bay, WI – July 5)

: With lights glittering, Great Republic unloads on a calm summer night. Gary Brink (Holland, MI – July 6)

: Joyce L. VanEnkevort/Great Lakes Trader enter Grand Haven, MI, for the first time since 2002. Sam Hankinson (Grand Haven, MI – July 7)

: The VanEnkevort combo is a rare sight to see unloading along the Grand River. Dave Redman (Grand Haven, MI – July 8)

: Arriving Grand Haven, MI, with stone from Port Inland, MI, is Great Republic. Matthew Uthe image (Grand Haven, MI – July 8)

: Mark W. Barker finishes unloading at Bay Aggregates on her fifth trip to the Saginaw River of the season. Todd Shorkey (Bay City, MI – July 4)

: Herbert C. Jackson undergoes repairs in dry dock at Ironhead. Benjamin Feinman (Toledo, OH – July 6)

: A look at work taking place near the stern. Benjamin Feinman (Toledo, OH – July 6)

: Herbie comes close to touching the grass! Benjamin Feinman (Toledo, OH – July 6)

: Minus her barge, tug Presque Isle exits Lock 4 of the Welland Canal en route to her five-year survey in Port Weller, ON. Karen Limardi (St. Catherines, ON – July 8)