IMMEDIATE RELEASE             March 25, 2004

NOTE: REVISED TIME FOR ARRIVAL CEREMONY – 2 PM

The shipboard arrival ceremony onboard the Canadian Progress at the Murphy Oil USA, Inc., Duluth Marine Terminal, 1400 Port Terminal Drive, has been moved to 2 p.m. The vessel is now expected to arrive under the Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge at approximately 12:30 p.m. Feel free to call the Port Authority at 218-727-8525 to confirm ceremony details.

The Port of Duluth-Superior’s 2004 Great Lakes commercial navigation season is scheduled to officially open at approximately noon tomorrow (March 26) with the arrival of Seaway Marine Transport’s Canadian Progress under the Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge.

The vessel will proceed to the Murphy Oil USA, Inc., Duluth Marine Terminal to fuel, then will shift to Superior’s Midwest Energy Resources Company (MERC) for about 27,215 metric tons of coal destined for Nanticoke, Ont.

The Canadian Progress was the first upbound passage through the locks at Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., at about 9 a.m. today (March 25). The locks opened to vessel traffic 12:01 a.m. today, but saw downbound vessel traffic during the first hours of operation.

Bethlehem Steel Corporation’s Stewart J. Cort and Canada Steamship Lines’ CSL Laurentien, each also destined for the Port of Duluth-Superior, transited the Soo Locks after the Canadian Progress, but presently aren’t slated to arrive until at about 6 p.m. tomorrow (March 26) at Superior’s Burlington Northern Santa Fe taconite facility and the Duluth Missabe & Iron Range Railway taconite facility respectively.

The official start to the Port’s season is marked by the first inbound ship from the Soo Locks. First Soo transit arrivals for the past five years have been on March 26, with the exception of a March 29 arrival last year by Canada Steamship Lines’ Frontenac. The vessel’s visit to the Murphy Terminal and MERC was hampered by harsh early-season ice conditions. This year’s ice conditions are considerably less severe.

The Port’s first shipping activity within Lake Superior began March 17 this year, with the departure of Interlake Steamship Company’s Paul R. Tregurtha from its winter berth at MERC with about 55,340 metric tons of coal destined for Marquette, Mich.

Interlake’s Kaye E. Barker shifted from its winter berth at Superior’s Fraser Shipyards, Inc., to MERC on March 20 for about 16,780 metric tons of coal destined for Taconite Harbor. The Tregurtha returned to MERC March 20 for about 55,340 metric tons of coal once again for Marquette. Additional vessels wintering in the Port are all expected to be on the move by March 27.

Commanded by Randy Smith, the 730-foot self-unloader Canadian Progress was built in 1968 at Port Weller Dry Docks Limited, St. Catharines, Ont. Local agent for the vessel is Duluth’s Guthrie-Hubner, Inc.

Another welcoming ceremony will be held when the Port’s first 2004 oceangoing vessel arrives, which will also qualify a winner for the "First Ship Contest" sponsored by the Duluth Seaway Port Authority, the Duluth Convention and Visitors Bureau and 92 KQRS, Minneapolis.

The Welland Canal and Montreal-Lake Ontario sections of the 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 Technologies marked last year’s first full Seaway transit and overseas arrival. Oceangoing vessel arrivals for the past five years have been between April 2 and April 11.

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

More Press Releases, 2004