Port Reports – November 24, 2022

Unless where otherwise noted, port and vessel activity from November 23, 2022. Please send future port reports to news@boatnerd.net.

Editor’s Note: With it being Thanksgiving Day where I’m from, I just wanted to take a moment and thank our hardworking port reporters, expert photographers, and loyal readers with a three-long, two-short master’s salute. Port Reports would not be where it is today without your support and contributions!

Duluth, MN – Superior, WI – Joshua Hebeisen
It was a family feast in West Duluth early Wednesday morning as AAA sisters Philip R. Clarke and Arthur M. Anderson gathered at the CN facilities hungry for some tasty taconite treats. After unloading limestone at Hallett 5 overnight to make room for dessert, the Anderson would cast off around 01:00 and make her way to the CN 6 gravity feeders ready for some pelleted pie. The Clarke was eagerly waiting nearby after coming up from C. Reiss and promptly took her turn at the head of the table to stuff herself with blast furnace trim. 

On the other side of the harbor, Tadoussac had already eaten all she could at BNSF and – being quite the rude guest – left port at 01:50 with over 30,000 tons of Hibtac leftovers for later this weekend. Even relatives from out of the country came to join the festivities back in Duluth; Dutch visitor Merwedegracht came in under a brilliant orange sunrise with a gift of bagged (or perhaps bottled) quartz sand for the host. The cargo fittingly hails from Turkey, of all places. She would join the port terminal table sitting back-to-back with fleetmate Floragracht, who has finished unloading containers and is currently prepping her holds for what will likely be an export cargo of grain. 1,004-foot American Spirit, once again taking a delay at Enbridge, received a last-minute invitation to dinner up in Two Harbors around noon and left Superior in a hurry as to not be late. At the same time, an ever-spiffy Joseph L. Block arrived Duluth all dressed up in her best holiday outfit (maroon, grey, and white, just like every other year) and empty cargo holds growling. With her sinter dish still in the oven, however, she would have to wait her turn to eat, first sitting at anchor in the inner harbor for some time before proceeding to the east side of CN 6 to wait even longer.

It became clear around midday that Philip R. Clarke’s searchlights may have been a little bigger than her cargo holds over at Hallett 5. Feeling sick with a little too much in her belly, the veteran steamer did a turkey trot just across the harbor to Fraser Shipyards and laid down along the dock facing to settle her stomach. With the tummyache gone by 22:00, Clarke was back at the Hallett slip stuffing her hatches once again just 45 minutes later. In the meantime, Burns Harbor (who almost never spends the holidays with her Duluth in-laws) pulled away from CN 6 after a rare load at the shiploader and departed beneath the Aerial Lift Bridge at 14:44 for Indiana Harbor. Juno remains at CHS 1 loading wheat and will likely be departing early in the morning on the actual Thanksgiving Day. All the boats are thankful for another successful shipping season and a long winter’s rest ahead!

Marquette, MI – Oggdo Bogdo
Victory/Maumee made a morning arrival at 05:44 and departed mid-afternoon at 14:59. The duo will head to Toledo once again to unload.

Milwaukee, WI – MKE Marine Reports
EPA’s research vessel Lake Guardian and the Lake Express high-speed ferry both arrived from Sturgeon Bay Tuesday night. Lake Guardian went to its berth at UWM’s School of Freshwater Sciences and Lake Express moved to its winter quarters in the South Menomonee Canal. Algoma Innovator arrived at 09:27 Wednesday with salt from Compass Minerals, Goderich. After filling the south storage dome, she cleared for Calumet Harbor at 14:26. Tug John Marshall with barge Lake Trader stopped briefly on its way from Marinette to Calumet Harbor. Bradshaw McKee/St. Marys Conquest arrived from Charlevoix at 12:26 with cement for the Kinnickinnic River terminal. Federal Champlain was still at Federal Marine Terminals unloading European steel.

St. Joseph – Benton Harbor, MI – Michael Moran
As we head into the long weekend, I don’t anticipate much activity. The dredge Buxton II remains at Central Dock in preparation for dredging. We expect the arrival of the rest of supplies next week, weather permitting.

Muskegon, MI – Oggdo Bogdo
The Sam Laud made an exceedingly rare trip to Muskegon, arriving at 23:09 to Cobb Verplank. Alpena remains at the cement dock.

Lake Erie Ports – Bill Kloss
Monroe, MI: Departures were New York/Double Skin 509A for Detroit and Paul R. Tregurtha for Superior, WI. Leonard M/Huron Spirit arrived at the Port docks at 08:47 to unload steel coils.
Toledo, OH: Samuel deChamplain/Innovation arrived at 02:54, unloaded cement at Holcim then departed for Alpena, MI at 15:45. Prentiss Brown/St. Marys Challenger arrived at 16:14. Departures were John D. Leitch for Hamilton, ON and Joyce L. VanEnkevort/Great Lakes Trader for Meldrum Bay. Oakglen is at Anderson’s.  Federal Nagara arrived at 18:40 and anchored in Lake Erie.
Marblehead, OH: Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder loaded stone and departed for Lorain, OH at 09:12. American Courage weighed anchor and moved to the dock.
Sandusky, OH: Radcliffe R. Latimer left with coal for Clarkson, ON. Herbert C. Jackson moved under the loader and CSL Niagara arrived at 12:29, berthing behind the Jackson.
Lorain, OH: Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder arrived to unload stone at Carmeuse. Once empty, the tug and barge departed for Stoneport.
Cleveland, OH: Calumet is on a second shuttle for Cliffs Federal Kivalina departed Tuesday night for Burns Harbor, IN. Federal St. Laurent is at the Port docks unloading wire rod.
Fairport Harbor, OH: Laura L. VanEnkevort/Joseph H. Thompson is at Osborne. Cuyahoga departed at 14:46 and Frontenac at 16:00 with salt for Toronto, ON.
Buffalo, NY: American Mariner set sail for Toledo, OH.
Nanticoke, OH: Algocanada departed for Sarnia, ON. Harbour Fountain moved to Imperial Oil to load gasoline. Paul A. Desgagnes departed at 20:53 with petroleum products for Montreal, PQ. At anchor are Algoma Hansa, Algonova and Algoterra. Algonorth moved to Imperial Oil. 

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.