IMMEDIATE RELEASE             April 12, 200

Duluth, Minn., U.S.A.—The Port of Duluth-Superior’s 2005 St. Lawrence Seaway navigation season officially opened at 10:26 a.m. April 11, with the arrival of the Bahamian-flagged Utviken under the Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge.

The winner of the annual “First Ship Contest” sponsored by Visit Duluth, 92 KQRS Minneapolis and the Duluth Seaway Port Authority is Tom McCormick, Fitchburg, Wis., who guessed an arrival time of April 11 at 10:30 a.m. He will receive a “Visit Duluth” weekend, including hotel accommodations, meals and passes to local attractions.

The Utviken will take about 18,000 metric tons of spring wheat destined for Italy from Duluth’s Cargill grain facility. Commanded by Captain E. Panulaya, the 621-foot bulk carrier is owned by Wallem, Steckmest & Co. of Nassau, Bahamas, and chartered by Fedmar International, Montreal. The Utviken was built in 1984 at Factoria de Olaveaga, Bilbao, Spain. Local agent for the vessel is Fedmar International of Duluth.

The Welland Canal and Montreal-Lake Ontario sections of the Seaway System opened to navigation March 23 and March 25 respectively. The April 10 arrival of the Lithuanian-flagged Kapitonas Andzejauskas at Superior’s CHS grain facility marked the previous season’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.

More Press Releases, 2005