Port Reports – October 1, 2022

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Duluth, MN – Superior, WI – Joshua Hebeisen
Return of the Queen: On yet another run for coal at SMET, Paul R. Tregurtha arrived Duluth in the 04:34 early-morning darkness to begin the last day of September traffic in the Twin Ports. Making her way through the inner harbor basin in preparation for the turn beneath the Blatnik Bridge, the Queen of the Lakes passed her newly-reactivated fleetmate Stewart J. Cort, hanging out at the port terminal while waiting for her turn at BNSF. The Cort would get underway about an hour later with news from across the harbor that CSL’s Frontenac, the current occupant of the Allouez Taconite Facility, was putting the finishing touches on her load of 27,000 Keetac pellets. A slow trip down the harbor would line up perfectly with the classic laker’s 06:40 departure for Nanticoke, allowing the Cort to take the dock immediately and commence her first load of the season. A forgotten Floragracht remained behind at the port terminal unloading quartz sand. At 09:16, activity resumed on the Duluth side of the harbor with the arrival of handsome freighter Joseph L. Block. Fresh from Port Inland and Port Dolomite with a split load of stone, the 728-foot vessel set up shop at the CN Dock 6 receiving hopper to unload. Her cargo will soon be put to use as a flux in the production of Iron Range taconite pellets.

As of 10:52 Friday morning, all 13 footers are officially plying the inland seas simultaneously for the first time this season. Presque Isle finally left her Howard’s Pocket moorings at Fraser Shipyards earlier in the morning and made her way to the Aerial Lift Bridge without incident, departing via the canal for a trip up the North Shore to Two Harbors. A midsummer engine issue requiring emergency repairs had kept the integrated tug/barge cooped up in Superior as the weather turned cool, leaving a Roger Blough and Cason J. Callaway-less Great Lakes Fleet shorthanded for a good chunk of the season. Philip R. Clarke came off the bench as a backup in the footer’s absence and will now share the lakes with her until January.

Things quieted down in the harbor until the early evening when both Interlake footers bid farewell. The Tregurtha was first, departing Duluth at 17:28 with a coal delivery for power plants in St. Clair and along the Saginaw River. Stewart J. Cort was outbound Superior a minute before 20:00 with her usual 63,000 tons of Hibtac taconite. It’s good to see “Burns” on her AIS for the first time this season.

Brevort, MI – Joshua Hebeisen
Mark W. Barker was outbound at 06:30 with another load of sand for Buffalo.

Holland, MI – Oggdo Bogdo
A couple of gray-hulled vessels will make there way to Holland in the next day or so, with the Manitowoc coming from Port Inland and the Cuyahoga coming from Meldrum Bay.

Grand Haven, MI – Oggdo Bogdo
Defiance/Ashtabula departed Verplank Ferrysburg at 06:40, due next for Meldrum Bay. The unusual beanstalk-like bridge support seems like it should be kept away from strong winds, but the designers must know what they’re doing, so I’ll defer to them on that issue.

Muskegon, MI – Oggdo Bogdo
The run of tug/barges continued as the Samuel de Champlain arrived at 15:14 for a cement unload at Holcim and the Candace Elise arrived at 20:24 to Ashton Marine’s dock. They may be swapping out barges. Further ahead, the American Mariner appears to be making a visit from Meldrum Bay.

Meldrum Bay, ON – Joshua Hebeisen
American Mariner cast off from the dock at 07:15 with stone for a Lake Michigan port; where exactly this will be remains a mystery as of a Friday-night AIS check. Classic Cuyahoga arrived at 13:00, loaded, and left the Lafarge quarry around 22:15 en route to grace Holland with her presence.

Stoneport, MI – Joshua Hebeisen
Saginaw departed at 01:00 for Windsor, followed at the dock by an upbound Baie Comeau at 22:00.

Detroit, MI – Windsor, ON – Joshua Hebeisen
Philip R. Clarke steamed down the Detroit River as the clock struck midnight Friday morning, approaching the entrance to the River Rouge around 00:25 and briefly unloading stone at United States Gypsum. She would later exit the Rouge and finish emptying her holds just above the Ambassador Bridge before heading back to Calcite at 09:50. Walter J. McCarthy Jr. was next in port for Mistersky from 01:27 to 05:24. The footer is once again headed back upbound for the Twin Ports. 07:00 would see a pair of cruise ships visit the Motor City, with frequent visitor Ocean Voyager and new face Hamburg both arriving with passengers to spend the day. The two vessels tied up at the port authority dock and the Nicholson Boblo terminal, respectively, and later departed around 18:00 in opposite directions (Cleveland, Chicago). Algoma Buffalo, unloading at Lafarge, shifted down for fuel at Sterling in the early morning and left Windsor for Goderich at 07:30. Wilfred Sykes continued what has been an unusual, yet welcome string of appearances this year with her arrival for Mistersky at 10:02. All fueled up, the trek to Port Inland would resume at 13:20. Hon. James L. Oberstar was inbound for Cliffs at 17:12, Saginaw began working on another aggregate pile at Lafarge aroaund 18:30, and Sea Eagle II/St. Marys Cement II were predictably back in town at St. Marys Cement. Reestborg remains at ADM.

Lake Erie Ports – Bill Kloss
Monroe, MI: Harvest Spirit arrived at the Port docks at 20:02 to unload steel coils.
Toledo, OH: Arrivals were John J. Boland at 00:28 and Prentiss Brown/St. Marys Challenger at 16:16. The Boland departed at 15:14
Marblehead, OH: Departures were Sam Laud for Cleveland at 07:42.
Sandusky, OH: CSL Niagara departed at 03:35 and Florence Spirit at 11:22. Both vessels  loaded coal to deliver to Hamilton, ON. Herbert C. Jackson arrived at 08:48.
Cleveland, OH: Departures were the cruise ship Hamburg for Detroit and Herbert C. Jackson for Sandusky at 03:56.  Arrivals were Harvest Spirit at 03:26 to unload steel coils at the Port, Clyde S. VanEnkevort/Erie Trader at 11:08 to unload ore at the Bulk Terminal and Sam Laud at 11:53 to unload a split delivery of stone at RiverDock and Osborne. Petite Forte/St. Marys Cement is at the Jefferson St. terminal. Harvest Spirit departed for Monroe, MI at 13:22.
Fairport Harbor, OH: CSL Tadoussac left at 03:03 with salt for Toronto, ON. Laura L. VanEnkevort/Joseph H. Thompson arrived at 16:44 to unload stone at Osborne.
Erie, PA: Calumet arrived at Carmeuse at 13:51 and unloaded stone.
Nanticoke, ON: Arthur M. Anderson arrived at 14:51 to unload ore at Stelco. Algonova anchored at 20:14. Late night arrivals were Algonorth and the tug Albert with her barge Margaret.

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.