BUFFALO Departs; BOLAND Arrives; PRESQUE ISLE Due for Departure Sunday

The BUFFALO finished unloading and departed Erie at 1500 today bound for the Norfolk Southern Coal Dock in Ashtabula, where she will take on approximately 15,000 tons of coal for Alpena.

At around 1900 this evening the JOHN J. BOLAND arrived in port amid a flurry of small boat activity in the harbor and docked at the Old Ore Dock to unload stone from Calcite. She should be outbound sometime during the night.

The latest word on the PRESQUE ISLE is that her departure is set for late-morning Sunday. According to her owners, Great Lakes Fleet, she has had a change of orders and will head straight to Duluth DM&IR to load taconite pellets, due there on the 22nd.

PRESQUE ISLE is the second vessel to use the port of Erie for repairs this year; the first was the JOSEPH H. THOMPSON/THOMPSON JR. in April, which unloaded at the Old Ore Dock before shifting to Erie Shipbuilding.

These two are a good sign for Erie, which, due to the placement of skilled technicians of Great Lakes Electrical Services, Erie Shipbuilding, Lakeshore Towing and ON Minerals: Erie Operation, has rebounded from being almost dead as a layup and repair port; it was once regarded that due to the lack of an ore-loading dock at this end of the Great Lakes that shipping companies would no longer use the port for winter layup or general repairs. However, this is obviously no longer the case.


PRESQUE ISLE undergoing work this evening.


BOLAND inbound.


In the channel.


A closer look at the BOLAND.


BOLAND passes USCG 47241.


Stern view.


Approaching the PRESQUE ISLE.


BOLAND passes by the PRESQUE ISLE.


Passing in the busy harbor


Turning.


BOLAND's stern passes the PRESQUE ISLE.

THOMPSON Departs

With repairs complete, the tug/barge unit JOSEPH H. THOMPSON/THOMPSON JR. departed Erie Shipbuilding at 1820 hours today, bound for Stoneport, Michigan to load stone. She's due there at 0100 on Friday. Below is a series taken as she departs the eastern slip of ESB and turns in the harbor, outbound for the lake.

AMERICAN VALOR's Visit

Below are photos of the AMERICAN VALOR taken today. The VALOR arrived at 0815, docking at the Old Ore Dock, and finished unloading at 1745 this afternoon, backing slowly away from her berth alongside the THOMPSON and departing for Calcite, Michigan, in ballast. After her departure the J.S.St. JOHN moved from the Mounfort Terminal to the Old Ore Dock to be unloaded of her cargo of sand. The ST. JOHN was outbound to dredge another cargo of sand at 2100 tonight, an unusually late departure for her as she starts her two-run daily routine.

AMERICAN VALOR Arrives

AMERICAN VALOR arrived in Erie at 0815 this morning and is now moored at the Old Ore Dock, aside the JOSEPH H. THOMPSON/THOMPSON JR. A full report and photos will follow sometime later today.

First Ship Arrives, Decides to Stay For Awhile; Boland Arrives; Erie Management Group Continues to Chase a Rainbow

The tug/barge unit JOSEPH H. THOMPSON/JOSEPH H. THOMPSON JR. arrived in Erie at 0400 today to become the first vessel of the 2007 shipping season, arriving with stone from Calcite, Michigan for the Old Ore Dock.

However, the THOMPSON JR., which had been plagued by troubles with the differential in the propellor shaft since last year's repowering at Erie Shipbuilding, decided to spend some more time in port with the troubles, and early this afternoon moved across the slip to the east wall of Erie Shipbuilding. She'll be here a couple of days.

The JOHN J. BOLAND arrived at 0700 with stone from Calcite, backing into Erie harbor and tying up at the Mounfort Terminal. The BOLAND departed at around 1500 this afternoon.

Erie Management Group continues to attempt to start a container shipping service out of Erie, having recently acquired control of Great Lakes Feeder Lines, Inc. The company supposedly will start shipping containers through Erie this year; however as of yet they have not acquired the vessel they list on their website. EMG tried to beat Erie Shipbuilding out for the lease of the shipyard in 2005 on the basis that they would make it a multipurpose shipyard, container facility and warehouse; however at the time they asked the Port Authority to make $9,000,000 in upgrades to the facility before they even took over the facility. Seeing is believing and I'll believe this container service is the real thing once it has been up and running for several sucessful, profitable seasons. Several companies have tried to start container services similar to this one on the Lakes over the years, with little, if any sucess at all.

While along the harborfront today I noticed a CSX locomotive pull a train full of rail construction equipment up along the siding closest to Erie Shipbuilding. I'm not sure if this is for the construction of the new rail siding into the yard. I'll see what I can find out.