By Art Pickering
January 19th: The 2011-2012 shipping season will come to an end when the Michipicoten departs later today with the last load of ore from the ore dock Essar Steel in Soo, Ont. The Michipicoten is scheduled for a 7 a.m. arrival weather permiting. Present weather conditions are bad with snow, fog, and strong winds. So the last load may be delayed. With that in mind, this will be my last report for the 2011-2012 season. I want to thank all those who followed my reports all season long and thanks for all the e-mails that I received throughout the season. I hope you all enjoyed the reports and I look forward to doing the same for the 2012-2013 season which is only a little more than two months away. So until then, stay warm and enjoy the lay-up season. Take care!
Jan 16th: Well the shipping season is winding down but a steady flow of
vessels has continued since my last report. As for the lower harbor, I believe
that the season is over and no further vessels are scheduled for the Shiras
Dock. As for the upper harbor, the following vessels have made visits since
my last report:
John Munson
Herbert Jackson x2
Lee Tregurtha x2
James Oberstar x2
Michipicoten x4
Calumet
Lewis Kuber x2
Kaye Barker x2
James Barker
Manitowac x2
Currently the Micipicoten and the Lewis Kuber are at the ore dock loading. The
Kuber is due back tomorrow as well as the Michipicoten. The Michipicoten will
have the honor of being the last vessel of the season. She will make at least
two more, maybe three more trips before laying up weather permitting.
January 5th: Traffic continues to arrive on a steady pace at the ore dock in the upper harbor. Today, the John Munson and the Michipicoten were scheduled in and tomorrow morning, the Herbert Jackson is scheduled to arrive.
January 3rd: Happy New Years everyone! Well as the shipping season starts to
wind down here in Marquette, traffic still remains steady. Since my last
report, the following vessels made visits to Marquette's harbors:
Upper Harbor: Kaye Barker
Michipicoten x3
James L. Kuber
Herbert Jackson
Lee Tregurtha
Hon James Oberstar
Pathfinder
Today, the James Barker is unloading coal in the upper harbor. She will return
back to Marquette for her last trip of the season early next week. Also the
Michipicoten and Pathfinder are scheduled for arrival at the ore dock later
today. Tomorrow the Kaye Barker is due back at the ore dock and the Munson is
scheduled for Thursday.
Dec 27th: Greetings and Happy Holidays. I have been out of the loop lately
due to a new job however, I am getting back into the grove and should be able
to keep up the reports for the rest of this shipping season. Since my last
report back in October, the following vessels visited Marquette' harbor:
Lower Harbor: Pathfinder x2
Herbert Jackson x2
Joesph Thompson x2
Great Lakes Trader x2
Upper Harbor: Algosoo x3
Kaye Barker x15
James Barker x2
Mesabi Miner
Paul Tregurtha
Saginaw x4
John B. Aird x2
Michipicoten x33
Pathfinder x5
McKee Sons x3
Lee Tregurtha x6
Hon James Oberstar x7
Capt Henry Jackman x2
Herbert Jackson x8
American Courage x2
John Boland x3
Manitowac x2
Adam Cornelius
James Kuber x3
Yesterday, the Kaye Barker, Herbert Jackson, James Kuber and the Michipicoten
all made visits to the upper harbor ore dock. Arrivals today are not know due
to bad weather in the region making travel on Superior dangerous. At this
point, there is no available schedule for arrivals tomorrow.
Oct 18th: Wow how time flys. I was out on a three week cruise with my wife
and returned to a couple of back-to-back business trips and before I knew it,
October was here. So let me catch you up traffic in and out of Marquette since
my last report back in late August:
Lower Harbor Great Lakes Trader (x4)
Kaye Barker
Pathfinder
Upper Harbor Great Republic (x9)
Adam Cornelius
Hebert Jackson (x8)
Lee Tregurtha (x4)
Michipicoten (x13)
Algowood
Algosoo (x2)
Algocape (x3)
John B. Aird (x2)
American Courage (x2)
Hon. James L. Oberstar (x5)
Robert Pierson (x8)
Manitowac
Paul Tregurtha
Mesabi Miner
James Barker (x2)
Weather impacted ship traffic throughout the Lake Superior region over the
weekend. The Herbert Jackson had to wait out strong winds before attempting
to dock at the upper harbor ore dock. And early yesterday morning as I drove
out of Marquette, and unknown large vessel took shelter in the lower harbor
waiting out weather conditions here in the Marquette area. I am told the
vessel departed mid-day yesterday. Weather conditions prevented the Great
Republic and the John Boland from traveling to Marquette yesterday and if
conditions improve today, both vessels should arrive later today.
August 22: Shipping traffic is still steady into Marquette's Harbors. Since
my last report the following vessels made visit as noted below:
Lower Harbor: Joseph Thompson
Pathfinder
Upper Harbor: Pathfinder
Herbert Jackson
Great Republic
Kaye Barker
Lee Tregurtha
American Mariner
Today's line up includes the Pathfinder, American Mariner, and the Hon. James
Oberstar. Tomorrow, the Herbert Jackson is scheduled to arrive at the ore
dock in the upper harbor.
August 16th: Shipping traffic in and out of Marquette remains steady. Since
my last report the following vessels made trips into Marquette as noted below:
Lower Harbor: Kaye Barker
Upper Harbor: Great Republic
American Mariner
Today, the John Boland was still at the ore dock loading ore. Also, the
Algocape and the Kaye Barker are due to arrive later today and the
Michipicoten is scheduled for arrival tomorrow.
Aug 14th: Shipping traffic in and out of Marquette continues on a steady pace.
Since my last report the following vessels made visits to Marquette's harbor:
Lower Harbor: Great Lakes Trader
Upper Harbor: Michipicoten (x2)
Robert Pierson
Great Republic
Lee Tregurtha
Hon. James L. Oberstar
Algosoo
Today, the John Boland is scheduled to visit the ore dock in the upper harbor.
August 9th: Yesterday, the Michipicoten and the Great Republic made visit to the ore dock in the upper harbor. Today, the Robert Pierson and the Kaye Barker are scheduled for a visit to the ore dock.
Aug 7th: Ship traffic in and out of Marquette has cooled a bit. Since my last
report, there were at least two days where no vessels were scheduled for
arrival into either harbor here in Marquette. Here is a list of vessels that
did visit since my last report:
Lower Harbor: Joseph Thomposon
Upper Harbor: Kaye Barker
Herbert Jackson
Pathfinder
Manitowac
Today the Cason J Callaway, Lee Tregurtha, and the Algowood are all scheduled
for arrivals at the ore dock in the upper harbor.
Aug 2nd: Well after a very busy period of ship traffic in and out of
Marquette, it appears that traffic will slow down over the next couple of days.
Since my last report the following vessels made trips in and out of Marquette's
harbors:
Upper harbor: Michipicoten x5
American Courage
Kaye Barker x3
Great Republic x2
Herbert Jackson
John Boland
Capt Henry Jackman
No vessels are scheduled for either harbor today and the only scheduled vessel
for tomorrow will be the James Barker bring in coal from Superior for
Wisconsip Public Service Power Plant.
July 24th: Wow, since my last report, traffic in and out of Marquette's harbor
have increased. Here is the list of vessels in and out of Marquette since my
last report:
Lower Harbor: Pathfinder
Kaye Barker
Pride of Baltimore II
Lynx
Upper Harbor Pathfinder
Algosoo
John B. Aird
Kaye Barker (x2)
Mesabi Miner
H. Lee White (x2)
Michipicoten (x5)
Herbert Jackson (x2)
Phillip R. Clarke
Great Republic
Saginaw
Lee Tregrutha
John Pierson
Today, the Michipicoten and the Mesabi Miner are scheduled for visits to the
upper harbor ore dock.
July 12th: Well shipping traffic in and out of Marquette continues at a steady
pace. Since my last report, the following vessels made visit into Marquette's
harbors:
Lower Harbor: Great Lakes Trader
Upper Harbor: Lee Tregurtha
Robert Pierson
Great Republic
Kaye Barker
Michipicoten
The following vessels are scheduled for arrival as follows:
Today: Michipicoten
James Kuber
Tomorrow: Herbert Jackson
American Courage
The next few days should be great weather for ship watching here in Marquette.
July 5th: Ship watching here in Marquette will remain steady for the next few days. Late last night as the last of the fireworks lit up the lower harbor, the Kaye Barker pulled into the ore dock in the upper harbor. As of noon today, she is still at the dock loading. The next scheduled vessel is the Pathfinder due in tomorrow at 11 p.m.. She will be followed by the Capt Henry Jackson and the Mesabi Miner both scheduled for arrival on July 7th.
July 4th: Traffic remains heavy in and out of Marquette harbors since my last
report. Both harbors have seen traffic as follows:
Lower Harbor: H. Lee White
U.S.C.G. Mackinaw
Upper Harbor: Michipicoten
H. Lee White
Lee Tregurtha
Joseph Thompson
Today, the following vessels are scheduled for arrival in the upper harbor as
follows:
American Mariner
Great Republic
June 30th: Well a busy month of June for ship watching comes to end today with
another busy day. Since my last report the following vessels made visits to
Marquette's harbors:
Lower Harbor: Herbert Jackson
Upper Harbor: Hon James L. Oberstar
Kaye Barker
Herbert Jackson
Michipicoten (x2)
Saginaw
Robert Pierson (x2)
Vessels schedule for arrival into Marquette today includes:
Paul Tregurtha
Hon James L. Oberstar
Michipicoten
June 25: Ship traffic in and out of Marquette's two harbors appears to be
picking up. Since my last report, Algoma Central vessels have returned to
Marquette after a lengthy absence. And both harbors have been busy with
traffic. Since my last report the following vessels made visits to the
following harbors:
Lower Harbor: Great Lakes Trader
Pathfinder
Herbert Jackson
Upper Harbor: McKee Sons
Robert Pierson (x3)
Michipicoten (x3)
Kaye Barker
Great Republic
Pathfinder
Hon. James L. Oberstar
Herbert Jackson
Algocape
The following vessels are scheduled for visits to the ore dock in the upper
harbor:
Algosoo
John B. Aird
James Kuber
June 14th: Ship traffic into Marquette continues to be steady. Since my last
report, the following vessels visited Marquette:
Lower Harbor: Great Lakes Trader
Upper Harbor: Herbert Jackson (x2)
Kaye Barker
Lee Tregurtha
Michipicoten
Great Republic
The Herbert Jackson was scheduled to arrive early this morning at the ore dock
in the upper harbor. Also scheduled for today is the Pathfinder, Great
Republic, Kaye Barker, Robert Pierson.
June 9, 2011: Traffic in and out of Marquette's harbors remains steady. Since
my last report, the following vessels made visits into Marquette:
Upper Harbor: Kaye Barker (x2)
Joseph Thompson
Lee Tregurtha (x2)
Great Republic
Herbert Jackson
James Barker
Michipicoten
The next scheduled vessel is the Great Republic due later today!
June 1st: Ship traffic in and out of Marquette continues to be steady. Since
my last report the following vessels made visits to Marquette harbors:
Lower Harbor: Great Lakes Trader
Pathfinder
Herbert Jackson
Upper Harbor: Hon. James L. Oberstar
Lee A. Tregurtha (x3)
American Courage
Pathfinder Pathfinder
Kaye E. Barker (x3)
American Mariner
Robert S. Pierson (x4)
Herbert C. Jackson
H. Lee White
James L. Kuber (x2)
Cason J. Callaway
Mesabi Miner
The next schedule vessel is the Kaye Barker which is due in tomorrow morning at
7 a.m. followed by the Hon. James L. Oberstar which is due in on
Friday.
May 16th: I can't believe how long it has been since my last report. Time
just slipped away quickly. Anyway, since my last report, ship traffic in and
out of Marquette has been steady. The following vessels made visits to harbors
here in Marquette:
Lower Harbor Great Lakes Trader (x2)
Kaye Barker
Herbert Jackson
Joseph Thompson
James L. Kuber
U.S.G.C. Vessel (name unknown)
Upper Harbor Hon James L. Oberstar (x3)
Presque Isle (x2)
Robert Pierson (x6)
Kaye Barker (x4)
Manitowac
Pathfinder (x2)
Lee Tregurtha (x2)
H. Lee White
Herbert Jackson (x3)
Joeseph Thompson
James L. Kuber (x5)
Saginaw
Cason J. Callaway
No vessels were scheduled for arrival here in Marquette today.
April 19: Well weather cleared up enough yesterday to allow the Pathfinder and the Lee Tregurtha to travel to Marquette's upper harbor ore dock. Today, no vessels are scheduled for arrival. Tomorrow the Robert Pierson and the Kaye Barker are scheduled into the ore dock.
April 16: Well a very busy week for ship watching here in Marquette. Since
my last report, both the lower harbor and the upper harbor had a number of
vessel visits this week as follows:
Lower Harbor: Kaye Barker (first vessel arrival for the lower harbor this year)
American Mariner
Upper Harbor: James Oberstar
Robert Pierson (x2)
Manitowac
Kaye Barker
Cason Callawy
No vessels are scheduled for today but the Pathfinder is due in tomorrow
weather permitting and the Lee Tregurtha is scheduled for arrival on Monday,
again weather permitting. Currently, snow is falling as a strong weather
system moves through the region which should move out by midday on Monday.
April 10; Ship traffic in and out of Marquette's upper harbor is light and steady. Since my last report, the Manitowac finally made its first visit of the year earlier this week followed by the Herbert Jackson and the Pathfinder which brought into Marquette the first load of limestone for the mines in Marquette County. The Manitowac made its second trip into Marquette yesterday and will arrive again for its third trip of the season at 8 p.m. tonight. In addition, it appears that the lower harbor will finally see some action this week when the American Mariner arrives from Superior Wednesday or Thursday with a load of coal for the Board of Light and Power Plant.
April 4: The next 24 hours will be a busy for crews on the ore in the upper harbor. Tonight, the Philip Clarke is due in at 7 p.m. followed by the Lee Tregurtha at 1 a.m. and the Kaye Barker who is scheduled for a morning arrival.
April 3: Vessel traffic remains steady in and out of the upper harbor here in Marquette. The Lee Tregurtha made a visit this past Thursday followed by the James Oberstar (formerly the Charles Beeghly) who visited on Friday. Yesterday, the Herbert Jackson and the Sam Laud visited the ore dock in the upper harbor. Today, no vessels are scheduled to visit Marquette.
March 29: Well ship arrivals have been steady since the season opened last Friday. Yesterday, the Philip R. Clarke and the Sam Laud made visits to the upper harbor ore dock. No vessels are scheduled for today or tomorrow and the next scheduled arrival will be the Lee Tregurtha on Thursday morning.
March 26th: Change number 520! Just kidding but it has been a bit confusing the last few days trying to keep the score card straight on who the first ore ship would be. First it was the Kaye Barker, then the Herbert Jackson, and on Thursday it was going to be the James Oberstar. And the winner is: well it wasn't the James Oberstar. Yesterday afternoon, the Herbert Jackson arrived to be the first ore ship of the season. She was followed by the James Barker that arrived back for her second trip from Superior with a load of coal for Wisconsin Electric. Today the Kaye Barker was scheduled to arrive early this morning but ice conditions on the east end of Superior prevented her from making the trip to Marquette. Otherwise, weather conditions in the region are sunny and cool. Tomorrow, several vessels are scheduled into Marquette but ice conditions may prevent them from making the trip from the Soo Locks to Marquette. As of now, the American Mariner is scheduled to arrive at 8 a.m., the James Oberstar at noon and the Sam Laud at 7 p.m. No word yet if the Kaye Barker will attempt the trip to Marquette tomorrow.
March 24th: Well the line up has changed again here in Marquette. The James Barker arrival at Marquette's upper harbor has now been changed for sometime tomorrow. Furthermore, the Herbert Jackson will not be the first ship to arrive at the ore dock in Marquette to load ore as reported earlier this week. The James Oberstar (formerly the Charles Beeghly) is now scheduled to arrive at the ore dock at sometime tomorrow. A quick look at the Soo Locks web cam this afternoon revealed at least three vessels waiting for the locks to open later tonight and one appears to be the Oberstar. So all eyes will be on the ore dock for tomorrows arrival. As for the lower harbor, it appears for now that the first vessel scheduled to arrive will be the H. Lee White on April 13th arriving from Superior with a load of coal for the Board of Light and Power. Stay tuned for further updates.
March 22: Well Marquette's shipping season opened last Friday evening when the 1000 footer James Barker arrived from Superior, Wisconsin with a load of coal for Wisconsin Electric. After unloading she returned back to Superior. The Barker will return back to Marquette this Thursday with yet another load of coal for Wisconsin Electric. The first ship to load ore has been announced. The Herbert Jackson is scheduled to arrive this Friday night at 7 p.m. No other vessels have been announced as of now however, local media stated that several ships are scheduled to arrive over the weekend.
March 12th: The Soo Locks aren't scheduled to open until March 25 but the shipping season will begin about a week earlier here in Marquette. The James Barker is scheduled to depart Superior, Wisconsin on March 17th and should arrive late the 18th or early the 19th. Then the Barker is scheduled to return back to Marquette on March 24 or 25th. No word yet if the Manitowoc who layed- up in the Soo will start sailing prior to March 25th. So another season is ready to begin and I look forward to providing daily updates. Have a great ship watching season.
January 18th: The shipping season for Marquette concluded early Sunday with the departure of the last vessel of the season. The Manitowac arrived very early Sunday morning. By late Sunday morning, she was loaded and departed for Essar Steel in the Soo. Two other vessels (Kaye Barker & Paul Tregurtha) who were scheduled for arrival on Monday cancelled their trips. According to the Soo Locks log, the Paul Tregurtha past through the locks late Sunday and the Kaye Barker departed Marquette last Friday and with poor weather conditions the Barker would not have time to return, load and make it through the locks by this evening. Finally, according to local media today, this year's shipping season was better than last year. Vessel traffic into Marquette was up by 42% from last year while the amount of ore shipped was up by 37% over last year. So with that, another season has now ended. I would like to thank those folks who sent me e-mails throughout the season and I hope you all enjoyed my reports. I will be back in the spring to provide reports for the 2011 - 2012 season. Until then, have a great winter lay-up. See you in the spring.
January 14, 2011: What a different a day makes here. Yesterday, I reported that the Kaye Barker would be the next and last vessel to load ore here in Marquette. However, a trip out to the ore dock this morning found the Manitowac and the Pathfinder at the dock while the Charles Beeghly could be see off in the distance heading toward the ore dock. Just as the Beeghly arrived, the Pathfinder made her final departure from Marquette this season. Later tonight the Paul Tregurtha will make the first of two trips to Marquette before she lays up for the winter. No vessels are currently scheduled for tomorrow.
January 13th: Well the shipping season is nearing an end. Or is it? According to the local newspaper here in Marquette, the Lake Carriers Association petitioned the Army Corps of Engineers in Sault Ste. Marie to keep the locks open for three more days. Shipping companies advised the Corps that they still had several major orders that needed to be delivered and did not want to wait until spring to make deliveries. So as of today, the locks will now close Tuesday night January 18th. The remaining vessels who need to lock down must depart Duluth no later than Monday to make the deadline while those vessels locking up to Superior for winter lay-up will need to do so by Tuesday which means vessels could still be traveling to Duluth on Wednesday. Here in Marquette, the Mississagi, Calument, and Manitowac have been making round trips to and from the Soo for Essar steel for the past couple of weeks but it now appears that all three vessels will now head for winter lay-up or head south of the locks for other deliveries. Currently, the Kaye Barker is at the ore dock in the upper harbor and will depart late today or tomorrow for a down state port. The Barker is due back in Marquette on Monday and will be the last vessel to load for the season. Of course this all depends on the weather. Meanwhile, the Paul Tregurtha is due into Marquette sometime today to deliver coal to Wisconsin Electric. Once the vessel unloads, it will head back to Superior to obtain one more load of coal for Marquette before winter lay-up. So another season is just about over here in Marquette. If the weather can remain decent for the next few days, we will have a couple more visits before the season ends. We will keep you posted.
January 10th: Well since my last report, traffic in and out of Marquette has been steady. During New Years weekend, it appeared that a harbor master was needed to coordinate all the traffic in and out of Marquette. The Herbert Jackson arrived on News Years eve and became the last vessel of the season to dock in the lower harbor. The Jackson brought a load of coal from Superior for the Board of Light and Power at the Shiras dock and then loaded ore at the upper dock for Essar Steel in Soo, Ont. As the Jackson departed for the Soo, the Manitowac, Calumet, and Saginaw arrived at the ore dock with the Manitowac and the Calumet docked together on the south side of the dock and the Saginaw anchored in the harbor. Not sure what the reason was for that arrangment but for two days both vessels were docked on the south side while the Saginaw waited in the harbor. Late the New Years night, the Jackson returned from Soo, Ont. and archored alomg the south shore of lake some 8 to 9 miles from the ore dock. The Jackson was finally cleared for the north side of the ore late January 2nd and loaded ore for a down state location. Meanwhile the Calumet and the Manitowac were still docked on the south side on January 3rd and the Saginaw could be seen departing the upper harbor and heading west. However, sometime during the evening of the 3rd, the Saginaw returned and anchored once again in the upper harbor. The Calumet joined the Saginaw in the upper harbor while the Manitowac moved over to the north side of the dock. Later that day, the John Boland arrived and loaded for a down state location. Meanwhile, the Saginaw could be seen once again departing the upper harbor and heading west to an unknown port. Shortly afterwards, the Boland departed and the Pathfinder arrived to load ore for Essar Steel in Soo, Ont. After the Pathfinder departed, the James Barker arrive from Superior with a load of coal for Wisonsin Electric. After the Barker departed, the Calumet pulled into the south side of the ore dock and the Manitowac anchored in the upper harbor. On the 4th, the Great Lakes Trader arrived and loaded ore on the north side of the dock and the Calumet finally started loading on the south side. After the Great Lakes Trader departed, the Manitowac finally returned to the north side of the dock and started loading ore while the Calumet departed for Soo, Ont. The Pathfinder returned again from Soo, Ont and loaded ore once again for a down state location. Since January 5, both the Calumet and the Manitowac have return at least three more times to load ore. Last night, the Buffalo, Calumet, and Mississagi all arrived in the upper harbor. Tomorrow, the Manitowac is due back to the ore while the Paul Tregurtha which is currently loading coal in Superior is also due in late tomorrow or early Wednesday. So with the approaching Soo Lock closing, traffic in and out of Marquette has been very busy since the holidays.
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