Port Reports – November 21, 2022

Unless where otherwise noted, port and vessel activity from November 21, 2022. Please send future port reports to news@boatnerd.net.

Duluth, MN – Superior, WI – Joshua Hebeisen
‘Tis the season for windy weather delays, but Duluth remained festive through a few days’ lull in the shipping traffic this weekend with the grand opening of the 2022 Bentleyville Festival of Lights. The colorful holiday display and its 5,000,000 LEDs will be shining bright on the hulls of vessels and raising the spirits of mariners and shoreside observers alike throughout the rest of the year. No lights would be lit during Monday’s trio of vessel passages, however, all of which marked their Twin Ports arrivals in daylight hours.

Burns Harbor kicked the morning off with a rare 07:51 transit of the Duluth Ship Canal, sporting a fresh snow mustache acquired during her time waiting out in the lake due to weather. She immediately went to CN Dock 6 to warm up and load taconite pellets – a rare move, albeit one she has already made this season. Her typical Superior-to-Burns counterpart Stewart J. Cort was inbound two hours later but in the more familiar confines of the Superior Entry. As usual, the first of the footers tied up under the conveyors at BNSF Dock 5 to take on Hibtac product. Juno finally made port after a few days out at anchor to load grain at CHS 1. Her Polsteam sister Lubie had just wrapped up at the same dock a few days prior. Floragracht remains at the port terminal discharging containerized cargo hailing from Antwerp, Belgium. 

Marquette, MI – Oggdo Bogdo
Another day, another Hon. James L. Oberstar trip in the books, this time concluding with a 10:33 Sunday morning departure for Dearborn. Fleet mate Lee A. Tregurtha will likely be up next in the coming days, though plenty of other non-visiting ships will be visible as they hug the shorelines during harsh November weather.

Port Inland, MI – Andrew Meyer
There’s been sickness in the family for the last week or so, including some complications that resulted in a moderate medical emergency, but now that things have subsided, I should be back to my regular reports.

Port Inland has been relatively quiet. Wilfred Sykes is expected to call on the port early Monday morning.

Sturgeon Bay, WI – James Conlon
BBC Song left Bay Shipbuilding at Sturgeon Bay on Monday morning after unloading 4 large LNG tangs from China. She arrived Friday afternoon and the tanks were unloaded on Saturday and Sunday.

Southern Lake Michigan Ports – Andrew Meyer
Calumet Harbor, IL: It’s consoling to know that with all the craziness the last week and a half has brought me, some things have not changed, like the Fuldaborg’s location. Albeit, she’s been a few places in between, but she’s back in town again, but she’s back at the mouth of the Calumet. Caroline McKee is farther up river, with her regular weekly load of cement after arriving early Sunday morning. The vessel everyone is watching is the Egbert Wagenborg, the first of the Easy-Max class vessels which the lakes first got a taste of with the Maxima’s visit earlier this season. The vessel is due sometime early tomorrow, and is taking the west shore of Lake Michigan due to weather.
Indiana Harbor, IN: Indiana Harbor has seen a few tugs moving around the harbor the last couple of days, but nothing large. Mesabi Miner is due sometime this week.
Gary, IN: The CSL Assiniboine arrived at 1128 on Sunday in an arrival that probably goes into the “rare” bracket. This is only the second or third CSL ship to make a trip to Gary in the last 4 months. The Walter J. McCarthy is expected Monday, in an arrival which is definitely a bit more routine.
Burns Harbor, IN: Wilfred Sykes departed Sunday morning after a lengthy stay in port, likely due to loading and unloading, but possibly other issues. Her fleetmate, Joseph L. Block, arrived at 1125 on Saturday, and would depart a few hours after the Sykes on Sunday morning. James R. Barker brought her rather infrequent load of pellets from BN5 Superior at 0925 Sunday morning, under the command of a moose. The Facebook-phenom has certainly gained a lot of attention in the last few weeks; it seems the perfect fit as the Barker has been known to sound like a bull moose from time to time!

St. Joseph – Benton Harbor, MI – Michael Moran
Shoaling in the harbor entrance continues to render the harbor restricted to all large commercial traffic. A dredge bid was awarded to King Company of Holland, Mi, to clear a path through the shoal and to fully dredge in the spring. They will use the Buxton II for this work as it is already in the harbor. Work will start as soon as possible on the dredging, but I don’t have a timeline on that yet. Weather will likely be the main factor. 

Grand Haven, MI – Oggdo Bogdo
Semi-frequent visitor Manitowoc stopped by at 10:58 for Meekhof’s D&M dock, coming from Milwaukee. The river class vessel finished up at 17:28 and backed out of the piers as the sun began to set. Next for the Manitowoc is Indiana Harbor, and perhaps another Grand Haven trip after that if history repeats itself.

Manistee, MI – Chris Franckowiak
PERE MARQUETTE 41/UNDAUNTED are due Manistee on Monday night. The pair will load ash at Morton Salt for the Holcim Cement plant in Alpena, MI. The pair could be delayed a bit after winds this weekend.

Drummond Island, MI – Andrew Meyer
Cuyahoga made port at 0125 Sunday, in what has been an infrequent but occasional port call for her this season. 

Goderich, ON – Bruce Douglas
Algoma Innovator arrived 15.45 Sunday loading at Compass Minerals. Algoma Sault expected next for salt.

Calcite, MI – Andrew Meyer
As the limestone season winds to a close, Calcite has steadily been getting loads out in anticipation of the winter. Four vessels have shown up over the course of the weekend already, with Herbert C. Jackson kicking off the action at 1750 Friday night. Calumet arrived next at 1417 Saturday. H. Lee White has been a tough puzzle to read, but it does seem like she came into Calcite Saturday, departed Calcite, and is now due sometime in the next 24 hours, so wherever she’s been, a quick turnaround. The Jackson had a rather long stay, but was off at 1222 Sunday. Great Republic replaced her moments later at the dock. 

Lake Erie Ports (11/21) – Bill Kloss
Monroe, MI: American Century arrived at 18:52 with coal for DTE.
Toledo, OH: Victory/Maumee departed for Marquette, MI. In port are Clyde S. VanEnkevort/Erie Trader, John D. Leitch, Federal Katsura and Dirk S. VanEnkevort/Michigan Trader. Oakglen is anchored in Lake Erie.
Sandusky, OH: Radcliffe R. Latimer and Florence Spirit are at Norfolk Southern. John J. Boland and Frontenac are on their way to Fairport Harbor and Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder is headed to Toledo.
Cleveland, OH: Mark W. Barker arrived at the Bulk Terminal at 01:10 with UTAC pellets once empty, she departed for Duluth, MN at 13:22. Sea Eagle II/St. Marys Cement II departed for Bowmanville, ON. In port are Federal Kivalina, Federal St. Laurent,  and American Courage. Herbert C. Jackson arrived at Ontario Stone.
Buffalo, NY: American Mariner arrived at 05:59.
Nanticoke, OH: The Port Dover anchorage is a popular spot as Paul A. Desgagnes, Harbour Fountain, Algoma Hansa and Algocanada have been joined by Algonorth and salties Mottler and Mamry. American Mariner weighed anchor for Buffalo.

Lake Erie Ports (11/20) – Bill Kloss
Toledo, OH: Clyde S. VanEnkevort/Erie Trader, Victory/Maumee, John D. Leitch And Federal Katsura are all in port. Federal Mayumi departed at 13:05 and Oakglen made it to the anchorage in Lake Erie. Dirk S. VanEnkevort/Michigan Trader remains at anchor
Sandusky, OH: Radcliffe R. Latimer, Frontenac, Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder and Florence Spirit all remain anchored. Oakglen weighed anchor and left for Toledo.
Cleveland, OH: Federal Kivalina arrived at 10:21, berthing at dock 24W at the Port. In port are Federal St. Laurent, Sea Eagle II/St Marys Cement II and American Courage.
Nanticoke, OH: Federal Kivalina weighed anchor and headed to Cleveland and Thunder Bay is headed to Johnstown, ON. CSL Niagara is at Stelco. Still at anchor are Paul A. Desgagnes, Harbour Fountain, Algoma Hansa, Algocanada and American Mariner.

Lake Erie Ports (11/19) – Bill Kloss
West winds 25 to 35 knots with gusts up to 50 knots and waves 8 to 13 feet expected have many vessels at anchor on Lake Erie.

Buffalo, NY – Brian Wroblewski
The DEFIANCE – ASHTABULA unloaded a partial cargo of sand at the West pier of Gateway Metroport on the 16th. They came in from Brevort at 9AM with a split load for Lackawanna and Buffalo. Some time that afternoon the DEFIANCE shifted her big barge over to Buffalo and finished off their sand delivery at the CSI landing on the City Ship Canal. They were finally done on the 17th and departed at 2:15PM, one day ahead of a massive snow storm.

The AMERICAN MARINER arrived off Long Point on the night of the 19th with a load of grain for General Mills in Buffalo. The weather was rough enough that the Captain decided to head for the Port Dover Anchorage to ride it out. They dropped the hooks inside Long Point Bay at 11:18PM while a record breaking lake effect storm literally buried Buffalo in snow.

Eventually, things quieted down enough to come in so the MARINER pulled up the hooks around 4AM on the 21st and headed for Buffalo, leaving behind seven other vessels in the anchorage.  They arrived here at 6AM and went up to the Frontier Elevator without tugs to unload their grain cargo from Superior.

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.