Port Reports – October 15, 2022

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Duluth, MN – Superior, WI – Joshua Hebeisen
While traffic is heating up in the Twin Ports, the weather is getting colder. An early snowfall was out to greet a healthy dose of morning activity, beginning with a weekly Burns Harbor departure via the Superior piers at 05:32. She is, of course, bound for the port for which she is named with the usual 63,000 tons of Hibtac lining her holds. Canada Steamship Lines’ CSL Niagara slipped into Allouez Bay 30 minutes later following an overnight stay out on the lake. With the light blanket of snow a sign of the months to come, Midwest Energy Resources Company was busy shipping out coal on Friday to heat the homes of Michigan residents during the winter season. Mesabi Miner departed at 06:23 for St. Clair with 58,000 tons and met fleetmate Paul R. Tregurtha not far off the horizon; the latter made port less than an hour later to flex her muscles with an even larger load of 68,000 tons. Philip R. Clarke rounded out a chilly morning when she departed at 09:20 for Gary with blast furnace trim. The long load took place over several days at CN-Hallett Dock 5. American Integrity would later depart CN Dock 6 for Indiana Harbor at 16:15, followed outbound by Italy-bound saltie Pichon a little over an hour later carrying wheat from Riverland Ag. The Tregurtha would be another 2.5 hours behind when she departed with a split load for St. Clair and the Saginaw River. As usual, St. Clair will be the Queen’s first stop on the two-part voyage. Samuel de Champlain/Innovation wrapped up Friday night with a 20:26 Duluth arrival for Holcim with powdered cement from the city of Alpena, Michigan. Fans are still holding out hope for the steamer of the same name to make at least one Twin Ports appearance yet this fall. Even with the Pichon’s departure, three salties remain in port at Clure: Humbergracht discharging quartz sand at Berth 7, Roerborg putting ashore wind turbine parts across at Berth 1, and Federal Hunter preparing for her next cargo at Ash Grove.

Marquette, MI – Oggdo Bogdo
The American Courage arrived at 22:50 to Marquette for the first time since late 2020. It’s her first trip to Lake Superior in nearly 21 months (Jan. 2021), so both Marquette and Sault Ste. Marie boatnerds will enjoy a change of pace.

Muskegon, MI – Oggdo Bogdo
Cruise ship Le Dumont d’Urville paid another visit to Muskegon on Friday, arriving at 07:52 for local sightseeing before heading off to a larger destination in Milwaukee at 18:24. Passengers get a wide variety of Great Lakes cities during their travels. While the passenger vessel has made several trips to Muskegon this season, the John G. Munson made her first of the year, arriving at 20:35. She is carrying stone from Port Inland. Last year the classic Great Lakes Fleet laker made 2 visits, in September and November. Given her equally rare arrival in Grand Haven earlier in the week and the time of year (more non-traditional routes) we may be seeing more of the Munson in western Michigan ports in the months ahead.

Bruce Mines, ON – Joshua Hebeisen
Michipicoten arrived around mid-afternoon only to go on the hook off the peninsula. She eventually performed some circles out in the lake and even appeared to abort an attempted entry before finally tying up at midnight; it is possible that weather conditions can explain her odd behavior.

Meldrum Bay, ON – Joshua Hebeisen
Rt. Hon Paul J. Martin departed at 05:45 for Windsor, clearing the dock for the pre-midnight arrival of Kaye E. Barker.

Stoneport, MI – Joshua Hebeisen
A 01:00 changing of the guard saw Sam Laud take the place of Algoma Sault following the latter’s departure for Windsor. The Laud herself would later depart at 19:30 headed for Monroe.

Detroit, MI – Windsor, ON – Joshua Hebeisen
DTE’s EES Coke facility bid farewell to Kaye E. Barker at 00:52 after receiving more Sandusky coal courtesy of the classic laker. A trip to Meldrum Bay was next on the schedule for Kaye, though she will surely be back on another Motor City run in the near future. Indiana Harbor arrived at 01:31 from Cleveland to fuel following the impending departure of ex-fleetmate American Mariner (one might call them corporate cousins now) from Mistersky and later departed herself at 04:35. Both boats are headed upbound, the Mariner for Calcite and the Harbor for Superior. Spartan/Spartan II and Ashtabula/Defiance were also headed on their way (downbound; upbound, Soo) after some back-to-back tug/barge Mistersky action in port from 04:10 to 06:25 and 07:16 to 11:15, respectively. Atlantic Huron’s 10:00 arrival for Windsor Salt would be the first activity on the Canadian side of the river. Back in the States, southbound cruise ship Le Bellot got underway from her lounging space midafternoon and Federal Kumano departed Nicholson for Duluth after 17:00. Algoma Sault further filled up Windsor when she tied up at Lafarge around 19:15. Frontenac was inbound from Thessalon at 23:00 and due at the same dock, but anchored near her fleetmate Huron to wait out the Sault. 

Lake Erie Ports – Bill Kloss
Toledo, OH: Departures were Defiance/Ashtabula for Sault Ste. Marie at 06:07, Manitoulin for Marblehead at 11:41 and Federal Asahi for Quebec at 15:20.  Arrivals were Joyce L. VanEnkevort/Great Lakes Trader for Torco at 19:30. Dirk S. VanEnkevort/Michigan Trader was a late Friday night arrival.
Marblehead, OH: Manitoulin arrived at 16:51.
Sandusky, OH: Saginaw left late Thursday night with coal for Algoma Steel at the Soo. Herbert C. Jackson arrived at 07:10.
Cleveland, OH: Departures were Herbert C. Jackson for Sandusky at 02:01 and Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder at 13:19. The cruise ship Hamburg arrived at 10:46 and docked at the Port  dock 28W. Passengers disembarked to visit the city of Cleveland sights. Happy River arrived at 17:17 for the Port, dock 22E. Algoma Buffalo weighed anchor and docked at Cargill at 10:16.  Mark W. Barker is on a shuttle, Federal Hudson is at the Port and Petite Forte/St. Marys Cement is at St. Marys Jefferson St. terminal.
Ashtabula, OH: Victory/ Maumee departed for Sault Ste. Marie at 11:48.
Nanticoke, ON: Algoma Niagara arrived at Stelco at 05:20. Algonorth anchored off of Port Dover at 10:45.

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.