By Art Pickering
The 2009 - 2010 Shipping Season Just Ended
January 18: Well even though the Soo Locks closed on Friday, shipping continued
in and out of Marquette. That is until today. Late Friday evening, the
Michipicoten arrived at the ore dock and departed by early the next morning
back to the Soo to unload. About 8 a.m. this morning, the Michipicoten arrived
back at the ore dock in Marquette for one final load of ore. Shortly after
noon, the crew tighten down the hatches, lowered the boom, pulled up the tie
lines, and slowly backed out of the ore dock on the south side for the final
time this season. The Michipicoten will arrive in the Soo about mid-night
tonight, unload and then most likely head for Thunder Bay.
With that, this concludes another season of reporting out of Marquette. I would like to thank everyone who followed my reports all season long and I thank
everyone who sent e-mails. I will return back in the spring to provide another
season of reporting. Until, I will prepare for my own cruise in March and I
hope each of you have a great lay-up season. Take care!
January 13th: With the close of the Soo Locks pending later this week, shipping in and out of Marquette continues. Earlier this week, the James Barker arrived with the last coal load of the season for Wisconsi Electric. Then the Lee Tregurtha and Pathfinder both made their last visits of the season to the ore dock on Monday and by Tuesday, both were loaded and gone. Late yesterday, the Saginaw arrived and was loading with a pending departure for mid afternoon today. The next scheduled vessel is the Michipicoten which should arrive on Friday. As of today, it is still not clear when the last vessel will depart Marquette for the season. It is possible that the Michipicoten and a sister vessel or two may stay above the locks and continue to ship ore from Marquette for another week or two depending on weather. Currently, the Marquette region is enjoy very mild weather for this time of year and it is suppose to last into next week. We will keep you posted.
Jan 6th: Well weather continues to impact shipping schedules in and out of Marquette. In my last report I mentioned that the Mississagi was still at the dock waiting out weather when in fact the Mississagi had departed and the Pathfinder had arrived earlier that morning. However, after loading, the Pathfinder did wait out the storm and finally departed yesterday. Meanwhile, the Manitowoc and the American Mariner were scheduled to arrive yesterday but weather once again impacted their schedules. Both are scheduled to arrive today but arrival times are again pending weather conditions. Also scheduled to arrive late today or early tomorrow is the Mesabi Miner with a load of coal from Superior. Finally, it is not clear yet when the season's last vessel will arrive/depart from Marquette. It does appear however that traffic into the lower harbor has ended for the season.
Jan 4th: Stormy/wintery weather has impactecd ship traffic in and out of Marquette. A strong low pressure system has created strong winds, rough seas and white conditions impacting vessel traffic in and out of Marquette. Since my last report on January 1st the McKee Sons finally loaded and departed Marquette over the weekend. Then the Manitowoc finally loaded and departed leaving only the Mississagi to load. It appeared this morning that the Mississagi was still at the dock ready to go but waiting out the weather. The Manitowoc is due back into Marquette early tomorrow morning and the Mesabi Miner will make its last trip of the season to Marquette from Superior to unload coal before laying up. She should arrive late Wednesday. All arrivals are weather permitting.
Jan 1st: Happy New Year's everyone! Since my last report, shipping in and out
of Marquette has picked up and the ore dock has been very busy. Since my last
report, there were several days where two or more ships were anchored outside
the harbor area waiting their turn at the ore dock. In fact, on three
ocassions, there were two vessels tied up on the north side of the dock while
there was one on the south side and one or two vessels anchored. Here is a
list of vessels that have visited since my last last report:
Charles Beeghly
Herbert Jackson
Lee Tregurtha
Manitowac x2
McKee Sons
Michipicoten
Mississagi x2
Pathfinder
Saginaw
Current, the McKee Sons, Manitowac, and the Mississagi are at the ore dock. The
Manitowac should start loading shortly. Also the Mesabi Miner is scheduled to
make the first of two visits before it lays up for the winter.
Dec 22nd: Well after several days waiting to load ore, the Pathfinder and the Robert Pierson finally loaded and departed. In addition, the Charles Beeghly had to wait a day or two also to load and she finally loaded this morning and should have departed. The next vessel due in is the Adam Corneluis which is scheduled for arrival later this afternoon. This will be the Corneluis first visit since being board by law enforcement during her last visit to Marquette. Also the Michipicoten is scheduled for a 4 a.m. arrival. No other vessels are scheduled at this time. Happy holidays to all!
Dec 20th: Well since my last report, a lot has happen here in Marquette. In my last report, I mentioned that the Adam Cornelius was due in. Well upon her arrival that afternoon, the Cornelius had a boarding party waiting for her. According to local media, U.S. Customs, U.S. Border Patrol, Michigan State Police and Marquette Police K-9 unit were waiting for her. Local media stated that the Cornelius had made a stop in Canada before proceeding to Marquette. Local law enforcement in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan were tipped off about an incident and that got the ball rolling. By the time Cornelius arrived at the ore dock in Marquette, serval officers were waiting and boarded the vessel. According to local media, no arrests were made on board but no other details were provided. In other news, the ore dock has been very busy. On Thursday, the Pierson arrived loaded, and departed for Soo, Ont. Then late Thursday or early Friday, the fun began. The Herbert Jackson arrived and pulled in the south side of the ore dock. Then the Pathfinder arrived and anchored out in the harbor. Around 2 p.m. on Friday, the Lee Tregurtha arrived and pulled into the north side of the ore dock. After pulling into the ore dock, the Pathfinder then pulled behind the Tregurtha at the ore dock creating a very rare sight. At the same time the Pierson arrived back from Soo, Ont and archored out in the harbor. Yesterday, the Herbert Jackson departed and the Pathfinder then moved over to the south side backing into the dock while the Pierson was still archored in the harbor. This morning, the James Barker arrived and after making the Pathfinder move out, the Barker is at the dock on unloading on the south side. The Lee Tregurtha loaded and departed just as the Charles Beeghly arrived and pulled into the north side of the ore dock followed again by the Pathfinder. Meanwhile the Pierson is still anchored waiting her turn.
Dec 16th: Well the rush is on to ship as much product as possible before the end of the shipping season which is quickly nearing. Ship traffic here in Marquette appears to be picking up a bit. Late last night the Robert Pierson returned to the ore dock for a load of ore for Algoma Steel in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. She has been making the 30-hour trip most of the week and she is scheduled to return late tomorrow night. Also waiting to get into the ore dock is the Herbert Jackson. It appears she has a load of coal for Wisconsin Electric and has to wait till the Pierson leaves before the Jackson can unload. The Adam E. Cornelius is due in this afternoon and the Lee Tregurtha is due late tonight. Besides the return of the Pierson tomorrow, the Pathfinder is also scheduled for a visit.
December 14th: Well it has been over two months since my last report but I have
been out traveling and hunting and also dealing with an illness. However, I
hope to get you all caught back up on the vessels arrivals here in Marquette.
Since my last report, vessel traffic in and out of Marquette has been very slow.
Just look at the arrivals for the past two months below:
Lower Harbor: Pathfinder 7
Herbert Jackson 1
Charles Beeghly 1
Upper Harbor: American Courage 3
American Mariner 1
Charles Beeghly 8
Great Lakes Trader 2
Herbert Jackson 8
James Barker 2
John Boland 1
Lee Tregurtha 8
Manitowac 2
Mesibi Miner 2
Michipicoten 11
Pathfinder 7
Paul Tregurtha 1
Robert Pierson 4
Saginaw 3
Over the weekend, the upper harbor was very busy. The James Barker arrived on
Friday followed by the Charles Beeghly. Shortly after that, the Michipicoten
arrived and had to anchor outside the harbor area. The Michipicoten was joined
by the Pathfinder, Robert Pierson, and Lee Tregurtha. The Michipicoten
returned on Sunday and had to wait its turn again at the dock by anchoring
outside the harbor.
The Michipicoten is currently loading this morning. The next vessel scheduled
to arrive is the John Boland. She will be loaded with coal from Superior for
the Board of Light and Power and will dock at the Shiras Dock in the lower
harbor before moving to the ore dock early tomorrow morning. The
Michipicoten is scheduled to arrive back at the ore dock late tomorrow or
early Wednesday about the same time that the Herber Jackson. The Jackson
is also in Superior currently load coal for Wisconsin Electric and should
arrive late tomorrow or early Wednesday to unload before taking on ore on
Wednesday. And then the James Barker will also load coal in Superior on
Wednesday and should arrive late this week.
Oct 12th: Since my last report on September 24th, traffic in and out of Marquette's harbors has been very light. The only vessels visiting the lower harbor were the Herbert Jackson and the Great Lakes Trader. As for the upper harbor, the Charles Beeghly and Lee Tregurtha each visited the ore dock twice while the Michipicoten and the Herbert Jackson each made one visit. Since Wednesday, October 7th, there were no vessel visits and the next scheduled visit is the Lee Tregurtha scheduled for arrival at 11 p.m. tonight.
Sept 24th: Ship traffic appears to be getting heavier in and out of Marquette's harbors. Since my last report on Monday, no vessels were in port on Tuesday however, there was a different story for yesterday and today. Yesterday afternoon, the Mesabi Miner backed into the ore dock to unload coal for Wisconsin Electric. During the evening, the Michipicoten came calling and was gone before dawn this moring. At noon today, the Mesabi Miner departed and the Manitowoc pulled in to load ore. Later this afternoon, the Pathfinder is scheduled to arrive followed by the Lee Tregurtha which is scheduled for a 1 a.m. arrival tomorrow morning. About mid-morning tomorrow, the Michipicoten is scheduled for yet another visit to load ore.
Sept 21st: A busy weekend for ship traffic in and out of Marquette that continues today and into tomorrow. On Saturday, the Lee Tregurtha and the Robert Pierson both visited the ore dock in the lower harbor. Yesterday, the American Mariner backed into the Shiras dock in the lower harbor to unload coal while the Michipicoten pulled into the ore dock in the upper harbor. During the night, the Michipcoten departed while the American Mariner traveled up to the ore dock which was followed by the Charles Beeghly. Later today, the Herbert Jackson will visit the ore dock followed by the Michipicoten early tomorrow morning.
Sept 16th: Just back from a vacation and I see that traffic in and out of
Marquette harbors has slowed a bit. Since my last report, the following
vessels have visited as follows:
Lower Harbor: Pathfinder
Upper Harbor: Great Lakes Trader
Herbert Jackson
Manitowac (formerly Earl Oglebay)
Michipicoten (x3)
Pathfinder
Robert Pierson
Saginaw
Lee Tregurtha (x2)
Since Sunday, no vessels have arrived at either harbor. The last vessel
visiting was the Saginaw. No vessels are scheduled for today or tomorrow.
However, on Friday, two vessels are scheduled for early morning arrivials.
The Michipicoten is scheduled to arrive at 5 a.m followed by the Manistee
scheduled for a 6 a.m. arrival. I believe the Manistee (formerly the
Richard Reiss 2) arrival on Friday will be her first for 2009.
September 1st: Hard to believe September is already here and we have just over four months remaining in the shipping season. Since my last report, traffic has been light. The Michipicoten has made at least three visits to the ore dock since my last report as well as the Charles Beeghly and Kaye Barker both arriving within 30 minutes of each other on Sunday night. They were both followed by the Robert Pierson who arrived early Monday morning. The Herbert Jackson was scheduled for an early morning arrival today however, I did not see the vessel at the dock this morning and at the time of this report, no other vessels are scheduled for arrival until Thursday when the James Barker and the American Mariner both make visits to the ore dock in the upper harbor.
August 24th: Traffic remains steady here in Marquette. The Michipicoten arrived about mid morning to load ore and departed by noon. Tomorrow, the Lee Tregurtha, Michipicoten, and the Herbert Jackson are all scheduled for visits to the ore dock in the upper harbor. On another note, this ship watcher learned recently that the Keweenaw Star, which has served the Keweenaw/Copper Country region for many years and has provided some occasional service to Marquette, will relocate next summer to a new port down in the lower peninsula. According to a report I received while on the Keweenaw Star last week, the vessel will relocate to Charlevoix next season. No other information was provided.
August 20th: The lower harbor was a bit busy yesterday. The Grayfox which spent the two days in Marquette depart yesterday. Then the Keweenaw Star arrived followed by the U.S.C.G. vessel Alder. The Alder departed Marquette around 11 this morning just after the Lee Tregurtha arrived at the ore dock in the upper harbor. The Tregurtha will unload coal for Wisconsin Electric and then load ore later this afternoon. The Saginaw is scheduled for a visit at 6 p.m. on Friday. No vessels are currently scheduled for Saturday while the Michipicoten will make a visit on Sunday after a 6-day absence.
Aug 19th: Traffic in and out of Marquette's harbors have picked up a bit since my last report. Late Saturday, the Michipicoten and the James Barker made visits to the ore dock in the upper harbor. Late Sunday night into early Monday, the Michipicoten returned for another visit to the ore dock. Also arriving in the lower harbor at Mattson Park was the U.S. Navy training vessel Grayfox which is a training vessel for sea cadets. On Tuesday, the Michipicoten arrived back for yet another visit mid-morning and the American Mariner arrived at the Shiras dock in the lower harbor to deliver coal to the BLP power plant. The American Mariner then moved up to the ore dock and was join by the Herbert Jackson which arrived very early this morning. No other vessels are scheduled for today and the Lee Tregurtha is scheduled for a visit at the ore dock tomorrow. Also schedule to arrive late today or tomorrow is the Keweenaw Star from Houghton.
Aug 14, 09: It appears that this week is Michipicoten week at the ore dock in the upper harbor. The Michipicoten has made a visit to the ore dock almost every day this week. Yesterday, it arrived at 8:30 a.m. and departed at noon. She was due back into Marquette this afternoon and will return yet again tomorrow. Also due in tomorrow will be the Charles Beeghly.
August 10th: Vessel traffic continues to be steady in and out of Marquette's two harbors. On Friday, Marquette's lower harbor had a vessel of a different nature visit. The 115 ft Paradigm (www.yachtparadigm.com)arrived and spent the weekend in Marquette. It is expected to depart later today or tomorrow. As for the upper harbor, the Charles Beeghly visited the ore dock on Friday while the H. Lee White and the Michipicoten both made visits on Sunday. Today, the Michipicoten is back for yet another visit. Tomorrow, the Herbert Jackson, Charles Beeghly, and the Michipicoten are all scheduled to visit the ore dock.
August 6th: Traffic still remains steady in and out of Marquette's harbors.
Since my last report the following vessels made visits into Marquette's harbors:
Lower Harbor: Pathfinder
Upper Harbor: Pathfinder
Saginaw
Yesterday appeared to be one of the busiest ship days this season. Very early
Wednesday, the Lee Tregurtha and the James Barker both arrived followed by the
Michipicoten who remained anchor out in the upper harbor till the Barker
departed. Then late last night the Robert Pierson arrived and departed early
this morning. No vessels are scheduled for today and ship arrivals were not arrival for tomorrow pending some schedule changes.
July 30th: Traffic in and out of Marquette appears to be steady as vessels
continue to visit both harbors. Since my last report, the following vessels
made visits to the following Marquette harbors:
Lower Harbor: Herbert Jackson (Deliver stone)
Upper Harbor: Charles Beeghly
Herbert Jackson
Lee Tregurtha
Michipicoten
Robert Pierson
The next scheduled arrival will be the Charles Beeghly who should arrive at the
ore dock in the upper harbor around 10 p.m. tonight. No vessels are scheduled
for tomorrow. On Saturday, the Lee Tregurtha is scheduled to arrive around
8 a.m.
July 23, 09: Since my last report the following vessels have made visits to
Marquette's harbors:
Lower Harbor: Herbert Jackson
Upper Harbor: Herbert Jackson (x2)
Charles Beeghly (x2)
James Barker
Robert Pierson
The following vessels are scheduled for arrival as noted below:
Lower Harbor: Adam Cornelius (late Friday or early Saturday)
Upper Harbor: Charles Beeghly (early today)
Michipicoten (late tonight)
Herbert Jackson (mid day tomorrow)
Michipicoten (late tomorrow)
Adam Cornelius (late Saturday)
James Barker (late Saturday or early Sunday)
July 13th: Well a light schedule over the weekend here in Marquette. The only vessel visiting Marquette was the Charles Beeghly. No vessels are scheduled for today. The next scheduled vessel will be the Herbert Jackson due in at the ore dock in the upper harbor at 2 p.m. Tuesday afternoon.
July 8th: Well traffic in and out of Marquette's harbor remains steady. Over the weekend, the Michipicoten, Herbert Jackson and Charles Beeghly all made visits to the ore dock in the upper harbor. Other visitors to the upper harbor over the weekend includes the Army Corp of Engineers Bill Maier and the barge H. Schwartz along with some other smaller support vessels. The only vessel scheduled for today was the Michipicoten which arrived very early this morning to load and departed around 7 a.m. this morning. Tomorrow, three vessels are scheduled for visits to the ore dock. At 10 a.m., both the Michipicoten and the Pathfinder are scheduled to arrive while the Herbert Jackson is scheduled to return at 10 p.m. tomorrow evening.
July 2rd: Since my last report, the Herbert Jackson made visit to the Shiras Dock in the lower harbor to deliver coal. Then she moved up to the upper harbor to take on ore. Also making a visit to the upper harbor was the Charles Beeghly and the Michipicoten (x3). Today, the Michipicoten made yet another visit to the upper harbor early this morning and the Robert Pierson and the Pathfinder are both scheduled for afternoon arrivals. The Herbert Jackson is due back into Marquette's upper harbor on Saturday at 6 p.m. Finally, as we all celebrate the 4th this weekend, please take time to remember all our military members who are far away from their homes and families. Please keep them in your prays. Have a great 4th
July 2rd: Since my last report, the Herbert Jackson made visit to the Shiras Dock in the lower harbor to deliver coal. Then she moved up to the upper harbor to take on ore. Also making a visit to the upper harbor was the Charles Beeghly and the Michipicoten (x3). Today, the Michipicoten made yet another visit to the upper harbor early this morning and the Robert Pierson and the Pathfinder are both scheduled for afternoon arrivals. The Herbert Jackson is due back into Marquette's upper harbor on Saturday at 6 p.m. Finally, as we all celebrate the 4th this weekend, please take time to remember all our military members who are far away from their homes and families. Please keep them in your prays. Have a great 4th
June 24th: Greetings! Since my last report way back in April the following
vessels made visits to Marquette's harbors:
Lower Harbor: Herbert Jackson
H. Lee White (x2)
U.S.C.G. Alder
Upper Harbor: American Courage
American Mariner (x2)
Charles Beeghly
James Barker (x3)
Herbert Jackson (x6)
H. Lee White (x3)
Lee Tregurtha (x4)
Mesabi Miner
Michipicoten (x18)
Paul Tregurtha (x2)
Robert Pierson (x2)
Saginaw
U.S.C.G. Alder
As of this morning, no vessels are scheduled into either harbor until Saturday.
On Saturday, the Charles Beeghly is due to arrive at the upper harbor ore dock
in the early morning hours followed by the Michipicoten later that morning and
the Charles Beeghly which is due in during the late evening hours.
April 23rd: Since my last report, the Herbert Jackson made a visit to the upper harbor ore dock on Saturday (April 18th)to load ore. She was followed on Monday by the James Barker that delivered coal to Wisconsin Electric. The lower harbor finally had its first cargo vessel when the American Mariner backed into the Shiras dock in the lower harbor to deliver coal to BLP. After unloading, the American Mariner proceeded to the upper harbor ore dock to load ore. No vessels are due today or tomorrow and the Robert S. Pierson is due in on Saturday. I myself will be cruising on a vessel for the next two weeks. I will return on May 11 and will resume my reports then.
April 9th: The Lee Tregrutha arrived very early this morning and by noon, she was loaded and departed for a down state location. In addition, another small vessel could be seen of the upper harbor break wall early this morning and it appeared to be a U.S.C.G. vessel heading northwest. The next scheduled vessel into Marquette will be the Herbert Jackson which will make her first visit of the season late Saturday night.
April 8th: Late yesterday afternoon, the Mesabi Miner arrived in rough seas and backed into the ore dock in the upper harbor to unload coal for Wisconsin Electric. Late tonight, the Lee Tregurtha will arrive at the ore dock to take on a load of ore. After today, the next vessel is scheduled for Saturday, April 11th.
April 2nd: The James Barker arrived very early yesterday morning and unloaded coal. By late last night, she was done unloading and departed for Superior. As soon as she departed, she was replaced by the Great Lakes Trader who is making her second visit of the season to Marquette. She will load ore and depart later today. Once the Trader departs the next two vessels due in is the Mesabi Miner which should arrive late Monday and the Lee Tregurtha due in on Tuesday.
March 27th: The official shipping season opened today with first cargo vessel of the year arriving in Marquette's upper harbor. The Great Lakes Trader became the first cargo vessel when she pulled into the upper harbor ore dock early this morning. As of this report, loading has not yet begun but she is scheduled to depart later today and is expected back on March 31st to pick up another load of ore. Also due in late March 31 is the James Barker.
March 25th: Ore dock officials announced today that the first vessel to load ore will arrive Friday, March 27th. Per a phone call this morning,ore dock officials stated that the Great Lakes Trader will arrive around 1 a.m. Friday morning to load ore. The only other known vessel for now scheduled into Marquette is the James Barker which should arrive late Tuesday or early Wednesday of next week to unload coal for Wisconsin Electric.
March 24th: Well it appears the first cargo vessel will not arrive prior to March 31st or April 1. Currently, the James Barker will be the first vessel to depart Superior Midwest Energy and Marquette will be the first destination for the Barker. The Barker is scheduled to depart Superior late March 30th or early March 31st arriving in Marquette late the 31st or early on April 1st to unload coal for Wisconsin Electric. In other news, Cliffs Michigan has reported in media that ore shipping out of Marquette will be significantly less than last season. At this point, it is not known when the first vessel is due into Marquette to load ore.
March 22nd: Welcome to another year of ship watching. I look forward to another year reporting the vessel arrivals here in Marquette. Speaking of arrivals, the first vessel of the year arrived in Marquette yesterday when the U.S.C.G. vessel Mobile Bay docked at Mattson Park in the lower harbor. It appears that vessel was visiting to break ice in both the lower and upper harbors but it was unclear how long the vessel will remain in Marquette. Ice in both harbors is breaking up nicely and should not impact any arrivals. As of right now, it is not known when the first ore or coal vessel will arrive.
January 7th: Well the shipping season for Marquette's harbors will come to an end today. Since my last report on December 24th, traffic in and out of Marquette has been very light. The only vessel making trips into Marquette through New Years was the Herbert Jackson which made two trips in and out of Marquette during the holidays. Yesterday, the last two vessels of the season arrived at the upper harbor ore dock. The Lee Tregurtha arrived before sun up and unloaded coal. She departed around 1 p.m. and was enroute to Superior for lay-up. Just after sun-up yesterday, the James Barker arrived with a load of coal and waited for the Tregurtha to complete its unloading before she could unload. This morning the Barker was still at the ore dock unloading and will depart later today back to Superior for lay-up. With that, another shipping season will end. I enjoyed providing you these updates and plan to do so again next season. I would like to thank those of you who sent me e-mails during the season and I hope I provided you the information you needed. Thanks so much for following along and I look forward to next season. Have a great winter lay-up and I will see you in late March.
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