Spring opens Port’s shipping seasons
Commercial Navigation: March 14
Duluth-Superior’s vessel traffic opened this season with the March 14 departure of Interlake Steamship Company’s James R. Barker from its winter berth at Midwest Energy with about 56,000 metric tons of coal for the in-lake destination of Minnesota Power’s Taconite Harbor plant.
Great Lakes Navigation: March 26
The Port’s Great Lakes commercial navigation season officially opened on March 26 with the arrival of Interlake Steamship Company’s Paul R.Tregurtha — the Port’s first inbound arrival via the Soo Locks.
The Paul R. Tregurtha arrives on March 25.

The Tregurtha proceeded to Superior’s Midwest Energy Resources Company (MERC) for about 56,250 metric tons of coal destined for St. Clair, Mich. 

MERC had a record-breaking year of low-sulfur coal shipments during the 2005 season, moving 18.8 million metric tons.  This was nearly 13 percent above the previous season’s 16.7 million tons and the highest level reached for the facility since it began operations in 1976. This helped boost total 2005 season waterborne commerce through the Port to 41.7 million metric tons, a one percent increase from the previous season’s 41.2 million tons and the Port’s highest tonnage level reached since 1979’s 43.8 million tons.  The Port Authority is anticipating another strong shipping season in 2006.

St. Lawrence Seaway Navigation: April 4
The Marshall Islands-flagged Ziemia Cieszynska launched the Port’s St. Lawrence Seaway navigation season with an April 4 arrival at Superior’s CHS grain elevator for about 18,000 metric tons of durum wheat destined for Italy.  Port dignitaries held a welcoming ceremony for Captain Jan Jarosz from Poland.

The Ziemia Cieszynska arrives on April 4.

Madelyn Browne of Minneapolis, Minn., won the “First Ship Contest” sponsored by the Port Authority, Visit Duluth and 92 KQRS, Minneapolis. Her arrival time guess of 1:06 a.m. on April 4 (the actual arrival was at 3:29 a.m.) earned her a weekend getaway to Duluth, including hotel accommodations, meals and passes to local attractions.  There were about 2,000 entries from 16 states in addition to Minnesota in this year’s contest.