Ocean7 Ranger was Duluth’s first saltie of the season. [David Schauer]
Along with earning First Ship honors, the Liberian-flagged heavy-lift vessel also distinguished itself by delivering an especially sizable shipment of project cargo to Duluth’s Clure Public Marine Terminal. The manifest includes 33 pieces, the heaviest weighing approximately 130 short tons. Duluth Cargo Connect will perform ship-to-shore cargo-handling and logistics operations for the vessel, preparing the cargo for overland transport to Alberta, Canada.
The Dutch-built Ocean7 Ranger loaded and sailed from both China and Korea, navigating the Pacific Ocean, the Panama Canal and the Atlantic Ocean before entering the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System. Her visit to the Great Lakes included a recent stop at Ports of Indiana-Burns Harbor, where the vessel delivered a dewatering drum for U.S. Steel Gary Works.
This year’s 43rd annual First Ship Contest winner is Sheri Dauplaise of Cloquet, MN, whose entry of April 8 at 7:15 a.m. was the closest guess to the vessel’s actual arrival time. The contest, co-sponsored by Visit Duluth and the Duluth Seaway Port Authority, invites participants to predict the exact arrival date and time of the season’s first oceangoing vessel, with a prize package of Duluth goods and experiences awaiting the winning entry.
Historical Notes: The latest arrival of the port’s first oceangoing ship was May 7, 2014 (Diana). The earliest was March 28, 2023 (Federal Dart). Last year, the season’s first saltie arrived April 21 at 6:05 a.m. (Federal Nagara).
Vessel locations can be tracked in real time at www.MarineTraffic.com and www.HarborLookout.com. Live video of the Duluth Ship Canal is available at www.DuluthHarborCam.com.
Here’s a video of the arrival: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8P4kq-w0R4&t=2s
defaultOcean7 Ranger arrived Wednesday morning with cargo for the port terminal. [David Schauer]
