The Twin Ports Ministry to Seafarers, an ecumenical ministry begun in 1969 to serve mariners on lakers and oceangoing vessels, has refocused its mission. Upon the retirement of its founder, the Rev. Norbert Mokros, in 1999, many of the center's volunteers left and it became largely inactive. Under the new direction of the Rev. Christine Anttila (shown here with Duluth Mayor Herb Bergson at an open house in November), the center will now focus on serving sailors on foreign vessels. Rev. Anttila is also pastor of two regional Evangelical Lutheran Churce of America parishes. Center representatives will once again be available to visit and assist crew members of foreign vessels, taking them items such as "ditty bags" filled with knitted hats, gloves and scarves. They can also take crew members (as allowed) back to the center for activities such as reading, playing pool and watching television.

These vessels join a fleet of 13 new ships that Canfornav had in place by the end of 2004. The 13 newbuilds are in addition to Canfornav's 25 existing handy-size vessels under charter for Great Lakes service — four of which are also named for ducks, the Bluewing, Greenwing, Cinnamon and Mandarin.

The Bluebill's visit caused quite a splash locally, with Bob Kelleher of Minnesota Public Radio (right) stopping by to interview Capt. Cezary Luczywek about the importance of these handy-sized vessels breathing new life into the Seaway System. A transcript of the interview is available at www.minnesotapublicradio.org.

The Port of Duluth-Superior was pleased to host the Northern Crops Institute's annual Grain Procurement Management for Importers group in October.This year's contingent included grain buyers representing Yemen, Costa Rica, Trinidad & Tobago, Italy, Poland, Malta, China, Latvia, Turkey, Sweden and El Salvador. The program helps the buyers make grain purchasing decisions.

Earlier in the fall, the Midwest Travel Writers Association toured the Port to gain a knowledge of what shipping means to the community and to learn the Port Authority's role in local development projects.

Pellets straight to China

The Birchglen's visit in October marked the Port's first-ever shipment of iron ore pellets directly to China. Canada Steamship Line's Cyprus-flagged vessel visited the Duluth Missabe & Iron Range Railway docks for 25,000 metric tons of United Taconite pellets destined for Laiwu, China. The vessel was scheduled to travel through the Panama Canal to reach its destination. Once there, the Birchglen was scheduled to receive a re-fit at a Laiwu shipyard.

Reporting for duty

The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Alder arrived in Duluth on October 17 accompanied by the Coast Guard's 47-footer. The Alder replaces the Sundew, which was decommissioned in May and opened as a Duluth floating tourist attraction in July. The Alder has gone to work removing buoys from Lake Superior prior to the start of the icebreaking season.

Transportation aides come calling