IMMEDIATE RELEASE             April 12, 2004

Duluth, Minn., U.S.A.—The Port of Duluth-Superior’s 2004 St. Lawrence Seaway navigation season officially opened at 4:37 p.m. Saturday, April 10, with the arrival of the Lithuanian-flagged Kapitonas Andzejauskas under the Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge.

The winner of the annual “First Ship Contest” sponsored by the Duluth Seaway Port Authority, Duluth Convention and Visitors Bureau and 92 KQRS, Minneapolis, was Sandy Williams, Willmar, Minn., who guessed an arrival time of April 10 at 4:10 p.m. She received a weekend getaway to Duluth, including hotel accommodations, meals and passes to local attractions.

The bulk carrier Kapitonas Andzejauskas took about 10,150 metric tons of wheat destined for Italy from Superior’s CHS grain facility. The 470-foot vessel, built in 1978 at Kherson Shipbuilding Factory, Ukraine, was commanded by Captain V. Voitko, and operated by Lithuanian Shipping Company. Local agent for the vessel was Duluth’s Guthrie-Hubner, Inc.

The Welland Canal and Montreal-Lake Ontario sections of the Seaway System opened to navigation March 23 and March 25 respectively. The April 11 arrival of the Norwegian-flagged Menominee at Duluth’s Lake States Lumber Inc./Innovative Pine Technology marked last year’s first overseas arrival.

Oceangoing vessel arrivals for the past five years have been between April 2 and April 11. The Port’s earliest oceangoing vessel arrival since the 1959 opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway was April 1, 1995, with the arrival of the Indian vessel LT Argosy.

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CONTACT: Lisa Marciniak, Port Promotion Manager, phone 218-727-8525

More Press Releases, 2004