Good Start: The ports of Duluth-Superior and Thunder Bay have hit the water running, so to speak, with strong starts to their shipping seasons. In fact, the full St. Lawrence Seaway system through April has a nearly 4% increase in tonnage from the same time last year, according to Mike Schuler for gCaptain.com. Mike goes on to write, “The Port of Duluth-Superior floated nearly 4.2 million short tons of cargo through April, representing a 48% increase over the 2020 pace and a 23% improvement on the five-season average. The strong numbers there are contributed to domestic dry bulk shipments, with outbound domestic tonnage doubling the 2020 pace. Coal and coke shipments started strong, totaling more than a million short tons, while iron ore tonnage also surged to more than 2.7 million short tons, up 21% (from last year)f and 19% above the five-season average. Domestic grain tonnage also surpassed the 2020 pace, notching an 18 percent gain. It was also a good start for inbound cargoes like cement and limestone, with tonnages significantly exceeding the five-season average.” Meanwhile, the CBC reports that the Port of Thunder Bay is seeing tonnage up 20% above its five-year average. Quoting the Chamber of Marine Commerce, the CBC notes that the port’s March shipments exceeded 300,000 metric tonnes for the first time on record and as of April 30, 1.27 million metric tonnes of cargo had passed through the port. This photo of maritime activity comes from David Schauer, who posts: “A neat opportunity to catch two Spliethoff vessels meeting each other at the Duluth Port Terminal today. The Marsgracht had delivered bags of quartz while fleetmate Floragacht is arriving on its first visit to Duluth with wind energy components. Tug Arkansas was also there to give Floragracht a nudge."
Maritime Day: Around Lake Superior, most every day is maritime day, at least during the shipping seasons, but May 22 is the official day to honor the merchant marines, those who keep the boats afloat to move the goods we use and need. Captain Sean P. Tortora posted a story about the annual honoring on MarineLink.com and quoted World War II commander Gen. Douglas MacArthur as saying “I hold no branch in higher esteem, than the Merchant Marine …” The civilian maritime corps proved brave during the war, helping to get critical supplies to troops and towns. According to Sean, May 22 was chosen as National Maritime Day because it was the date in 1819 that the SS Savannah sailed on the first transoceanic voyage under steam power, using a side paddlewheel. Sean also talks about the merchant marine history in WWII, during which many mariners were wounded or killed, but never compensated because they were not official military personnel. In Duluth, there will be a special luncheon today in commemoration of the annual acknowledgement.
Another Maritime Note: Duluth Seaway Port Authority’s executive director, Deb DeLuca, was honored this week by the University of Minnesota’s Center for Transportation Studies with its its 2021 Distinguished Service Award at a virtual ceremony led by CTS Interim Director Dawn Hood. The William K. Smith Distinguished Service Award is presented annually to a private sector professional in the freight transportation and supply chain industry for leadership in the field and contributions to mentorship and education of future leaders. Deb advanced to become the Port Authority’s executive director in 2018 and since then has marshalled resources to initiate more than $26 million in port-related capital projects, greatly increasing freight transport capacity and efficiency in the Port of Duluth-Superior plus helped facilitate a college internship program at the Port Authority in 2020, according to a release about the award. “I’m grateful for the recognition, but it’s truly an award that belongs to our entire team,” Deb said in accepting the award. “Together, we’ve improved the freight transportation landscape not only in this port, but for the region as a whole, and we’ve done it thanks to strategic planning, hard work and collaboration. It’s a great team effort of longtime industry experts and a new generation of contributors who will be the industry’s future.”
Welcome, Ziigwan!: One of the newest parks within the Big Lake neighborhood is the Frog Bay Tribal National Park created by the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. The park has its own Facebook page and one of the cool things about it is the Ojibwe words mingled in with images of the landscape and the wild neighbors. There's been a lot of shots showing the progression of ziigwan (spring) at the park. So visit the site to learn about wiigwaasaatig (birch), ajidamoo (red squirrel) and the actually visit the park to hear the calls of the omakakii (frog) during its courtship. The park stretches about a quarter-mile along Lake Superior within the Red Cliff reservation and offers sandy beaches, views of the Apostle Islands and is surrounded by boreal forests. "Because this area has been historically important for the Red Cliff Tribe, but was inaccessible in recent history due to its private ownership, the Bayfield Regional Conservancy and the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa joined forces to acquire and permanently protect the property for nature based recreation, for traditional/spiritual ceremony and to further the understanding that all land is sacred," the Facebook page notes. Much of last year, the park was open only to band members due to pandemic restrictions, The park is open to others now and there is no charge for entry.
All Aboard: The first North Shore Scenic Railroad tourist train of the summer season heads out of the Duluth Depot at 1 p.m. today and then starts its regular schedule of trains at 1 and 3 p.m., Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays plus Music and Pizza Trains 6 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Then next week on May 28, it starts a full week schedule. Although most restrictions have been lifted, for now the tours will run at 75% capacity to leave plenty of room for comfort. “We want our guest/passengers to feel comfortable and safe,” says General Manager Ken Buehler. “By having plenty of room on the train and continuing our rigid cleaning protocols, put in place last summer, we’re offering a very secure and relaxing train ride.” New on the railroad’s tours this summer will be a full-length dome car, SkyView, which is used in the first class service on the daily Duluth Zephyr runs to Two Harbors. You can book your tour online.
Less Ice … Naughty or Nice?: Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Superior plan to find an answer to that question for the maritime industry on the Great Lakes. Richard Stewart, director of the Transportation and Logistics Research Center at UWS, and Daniel Rust, UWS assistant professor of transportation and logistics, plan a yearlong study to determine if evolving seasonal ice cover might extend shipping options. They will collect data on lake carrier movements and capacities of three main cargoes – taconite, coal and limestone – to create models that can be used by commercial ports and shipping companies. Their work will consider the feasibility of extending the maritime shipping season by 20 days and by 50 days. Currently the full official maritime season on the Great Lakes runs from opening of the Soo Locks on March 25 (as designated by Congress) until the locks close on Jan. 15 (also a designated date). “Say that with the existing fleet of ships, how many ships would be needed to carry that same amount of cargo if they could operate – instead of nine months per year – 10 months, 11 months and 12 months?” poses Richard. “If that cargo pie doesn’t grow bigger, we believe our research will indicate a need for fewer ships.” Richard and Daniel also will review shipping in the Baltic region. “It has a similar geographic size to the Great Lakes and the same issues with ice,” Richard says in the Sea Grant story. “They operate year-round and move cargoes. We’ve visited the Baltic for preliminary research. We’re looking to see if there are similar cargoes and trade patterns that might have applicability on the Great Lakes.”
Mid-Week Treats: If you wonder where Wednesday Bakery in Superior got its name, you only need to look at the open hours … which are only on Wednesdays. The other days, Rich Cuisine, which created the one-day bakery, remains busy with its catering work. Rich Cuisine has locations in Superior and in Floodwood, Minn. Here at the office we’ve used a couple of gatherings – we’re all vaccinated; it’s okay to do that now! – to make an excuse for ordering cupcakes. We definitely can give it a yums up. We’d like to highlight regularly businesses around the Big Lake neighborhood. Do you have one you love and think deserves a shout out here? Please send your idea, a business link and a photo to edit@lakesuperor.com. We’ll be in the office … unless it’s Wednesday when we might be out buying treats.
Photo & graphic credits: David Schauer; MarineLink.com; Duluth Seaway Port Authority; Frog Bay Tribal National Park; North Shore Scenic Railroad; 2012 photo of John D. Leitch, a self-discharging bulk carrier vessel in Duluth by Marie Zhuikov/Wisconsin Sea Grant; UWS; Wednesday Bakery