Around the Port

A new duck swims
into Port

The first of six new Canfornav vessels built specifically for Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway trade — all but one named after ducks — made her inaugural visit to the Port of Duluth-Superior in November. The Cypriot-flag

Bluewing, named after the blue-winged teal, loaded about 20,000 metric tons of spring and durum wheat destined for Ecuador.

Tim Slattery Photo

Canfornav Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Canadian Forest Navigation Co., Ltd., Montreal, ordered the six 27,000-ton bulk carriers from the Wuhu Shipyard in China. Sister vessels are the Greenwing, Cinnamon, Mandarin, White Knight (the non-duck) and the Kakawi.

In the photo above left, Captain Andriy Gulyayev, from Odessa, Ukraine (center) was hosted by local vessel agent Chuck Hilleren, Guthrie-Hubner, Inc., (left) and Gary Nicholson, Lake Superior Warehousing Co., Inc., at a reception held in honor of the Bluewing's visit.

Presque Isle's arrival closes the season
Patrick Lapinski Photo
With the Soo Locks closing at midnight Jan. 15, the Port of Duluth-Superior's last cargo vessel movement of the season occurred on Jan. 16 with the arrival of GLF Great Lakes Corp.'s Presque Isle, shown above tucking into Duluth's Clure Public Marine Terminal for winter berthing.

Other notable events as shipping ended for the season:

Oglebay Norton Marine Services Company's Oglebay Norton was the Port's last outbound cargo vessel, departing Jan. 10 from the Duluth Missabe & Iron Range Railway taconite facility with about 56,960 metric tons of iron ore pellets destined for Toledo, Ohio.

The Marshall Islands-flag Lake Ontario ended the Port's 2002 St. Lawrence Seaway navigation season with a Dec. 17 departure from Duluth's AGP Grain Limited with about 10,000 metric tons of wheat and 15,000 tons of soybeans for Antwerp, Belgium.

The St. Lawrence Seaway system officially closed for the season at midnight on Dec. 26. Both the Seaway system and the Soo Locks are scheduled to open for 2003 vessel traffic on March 25.