MANITOU entered Conneaut harbor at 1524 today and is currently working on docking the SPEER. Assuming the SPEER begins to unload at 1700 today, and unloads for twelve hours, that should put the SPEER in Erie sometime after daylight tomorrow, possibly after 0800. No word yet on whether the MANITOU will return to Erie tonight or wait and return with the SPEER tomorrow. There is also no word as to whether the MANITOU will stay in Erie after the SPEER arrives or take off for Sandusky and Ashtabula to assist the CASON J. CALLAWAY; however, with ice on Lake Erie being extremely heavy due to several weeks of sub-freezing temperatures, it's likely the MANITOU will depart and return later this week with the PRESQUE ISLE and CALLAWAY.
MANITOU had arrived in Erie at 1500 yesterday and broke open the ice in the harbor, which will - in theory, as ice has a mind of its own - allow the SPEER to turn and back in to the Old Ore Dock. The MANITOU's presence will allow for the SPEER to back in, as compared to two years ago, when the ROGER BLOUGH was forced to pull into the Old Ore Dock after receiving inadequate ice breaking from the USCGC NEAH BAY. Since then Great Lakes Fleet has preferred to pay the bill for the private icebreaking services of Malcolm Marine.
Please check back on Erie Shipping News, or, as I wrote in a post below, check out our Twitter page. Both will be updated as the news happens and will allow viewers to see the SPEER's arrival.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
SPEER in Conneaut
EDGAR B. SPEER has just turned around and is now backing into Conneaut. MANITOU has just departed Erie bound for Conneaut to assist the SPEER, but may turn back if the SPEER gets into the dock at Conneaut without any trouble.
SPEER, meanwhile, should be arriving Erie tomorrow morning.
Be sure and check Erie Shipping News throughout the day, or visit us on Twitter for up-to-date information.
SPEER, meanwhile, should be arriving Erie tomorrow morning.
Be sure and check Erie Shipping News throughout the day, or visit us on Twitter for up-to-date information.
SPEER, PRESQUE ISLE Update
EDGAR B. SPEER is reportedly due in Erie at 0600 tomorrow; this will likely be later as it is doubtful that the ship's crew will want to deal with the ice in the dark. This is the same scenario that prevented the ship from entering Conneaut last night and arriving in Erie today.
PRESQUE ISLE, meanwhile, is currently expected in Erie at 0900 on Wednesday.
CASON J. CALLAWAY is unloading at Ecorse, Michigan at this time and is next scheduled to Sandusky and Ashtabula to load a coal cargo for Ecorse before laying up in Erie, likely on the 19th or 20th.
Turn to Erie Shipping News for the most accurate, up-to-the-minute updates on the positions of the SPEER, PRESQUE ISLE and CALLAWAY.
PRESQUE ISLE, meanwhile, is currently expected in Erie at 0900 on Wednesday.
CASON J. CALLAWAY is unloading at Ecorse, Michigan at this time and is next scheduled to Sandusky and Ashtabula to load a coal cargo for Ecorse before laying up in Erie, likely on the 19th or 20th.
Turn to Erie Shipping News for the most accurate, up-to-the-minute updates on the positions of the SPEER, PRESQUE ISLE and CALLAWAY.
EDGAR B. SPEER - Currently inbound Conneaut
EDGAR B. SPEER is currently inbound Conneaut at this time to unload; the SPEER has had to back and ram the ice in Conneaut harbor as it pulls into the dock to unload. This means a 14 to 18 hour unload for the SPEER, which will likely arrive Erie sometime tomorrow morning.
SPEER Update
According to reports from Conneaut the EDGAR B. SPEER never went into that port last night, after spending the night at anchor. The vessel is expected to go in and unload today, meaning it will not be arriving in Erie at noon today. I will update when I learn more.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
EDGAR B. SPEER Due
EDGAR B. SPEER is due in Conneaut at 1800 this evening, and is still expected in Erie at noon tomorrow. I will update this blog with any changes as I become aware of them; please check back.
Friday, January 14, 2011
SPEER Update
EDGAR B. SPEER is currently due in Conneaut at 1800 hours on Saturday, and is still expected in Erie (likely with icebreaker escort) Sunday at noon.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
SPEER, CALLAWAY, PRESQUE ISLE UPDATE
EDGAR B. SPEER is due in Conneaut on the 15th at 1800 to unload 52,000 tons of taconite pellets, and is expected in Erie at noon on Sunday for layup.
CASON J. CALLAWAY is due in Ecorse, Michigan on the 15th to unload and will run several coal shuttles across Lake Erie before laying up.
PRESQUE ISLE, meanwhile, is due in Ecorse to unload on the 17th at 1900, dock and weather conditions permitting, and then will proceed to Erie the next day for layup.
CASON J. CALLAWAY is due in Ecorse, Michigan on the 15th to unload and will run several coal shuttles across Lake Erie before laying up.
PRESQUE ISLE, meanwhile, is due in Ecorse to unload on the 17th at 1900, dock and weather conditions permitting, and then will proceed to Erie the next day for layup.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Ice Advisory from Friday through January 19
Erie Western-Pennsylvania Port Authority has issued an ice warning for Presque Isle Bay extending from Friday through January 19, due to the impending arrival of EDGAR B. SPEER, CASON J. CALLAWAY and PRESQUE ISLE.
EDGAR B. SPEER is currently downbound on Lake Superior and due Conneaut on Saturday at 2000 hours. That will put the vessel here, as the first of the arrivals, probably escorted by a tug, during daylight hours on Sunday.
EDGAR B. SPEER is currently downbound on Lake Superior and due Conneaut on Saturday at 2000 hours. That will put the vessel here, as the first of the arrivals, probably escorted by a tug, during daylight hours on Sunday.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Layup Update; More Photos of GE Class 70 - 70012
EDGAR B. SPEER expects to be loaded and out of Two Harbors, Minnesota sometime tomorrow evening and down to Conneaut on Saturday evening. This will put the SPEER in Erie for layup sometime on Sunday.
PRESQUE ISLE is due into Duluth to load iron ore tomorrow and is reportedly due down at Ecorse, Michigan to unload on the 17th at 1100 hours. If this holds, this will put the PRESQUE ISLE in Erie, if all goes well and ice does not prove to be a problem, sometime during daylight Tuesday.
CASON J. CALLAWAY is due in Duluth to load iron ore ahead of the PRESQUE ISLE tomorrow and will be down to Ecorse, Michigan on the 15th, later in the day.
Another photo of GE locomotive 70012 can be found here. Reportedly, it will be reloaded on the undamaged BELUGA ENDURANCE when BELUGA ENDURANCE returns there after unloading in Ghent, Belgium in several days.
PRESQUE ISLE is due into Duluth to load iron ore tomorrow and is reportedly due down at Ecorse, Michigan to unload on the 17th at 1100 hours. If this holds, this will put the PRESQUE ISLE in Erie, if all goes well and ice does not prove to be a problem, sometime during daylight Tuesday.
CASON J. CALLAWAY is due in Duluth to load iron ore ahead of the PRESQUE ISLE tomorrow and will be down to Ecorse, Michigan on the 15th, later in the day.
Another photo of GE locomotive 70012 can be found here. Reportedly, it will be reloaded on the undamaged BELUGA ENDURANCE when BELUGA ENDURANCE returns there after unloading in Ghent, Belgium in several days.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
BELUGA ENDURANCE Video, Part One; Winter Layup Information
BELUGA ENDURANCE is shown in the video below while departing Erie on December 21.
Photos of the unloading, including a couple of the bent-up 70012, can be found online here.
To clear up the questions I have received, it is my understanding that as far as layup dockings are concerned, the EDGAR B. SPEER will be backed into the Old Ore Dock; the CASON J. CALLAWAY will be in the West Slip and the PRESQUE ISLE, as always, will be at the Mountfort Terminal. The PRESQUE ISLE will have the cofferdam installed on the starboard side by Lakeshore Towing so that the shaft seal on that side can be replaced.
Please note that photos are currently not appearing in posts below; this is due to a server change I am working on and will be remedied by Tuesday at the latest. I am also in the process of changing old photos on this blog (2006 and 2007) from the Webshots albums they were previously in to my own server.
Photos of the unloading, including a couple of the bent-up 70012, can be found online here.
To clear up the questions I have received, it is my understanding that as far as layup dockings are concerned, the EDGAR B. SPEER will be backed into the Old Ore Dock; the CASON J. CALLAWAY will be in the West Slip and the PRESQUE ISLE, as always, will be at the Mountfort Terminal. The PRESQUE ISLE will have the cofferdam installed on the starboard side by Lakeshore Towing so that the shaft seal on that side can be replaced.
Please note that photos are currently not appearing in posts below; this is due to a server change I am working on and will be remedied by Tuesday at the latest. I am also in the process of changing old photos on this blog (2006 and 2007) from the Webshots albums they were previously in to my own server.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Video: Locomotive Loading at the Mountfort Terminal
Below are two videos of the locomotive loading process at the Mountfort Terminal.
The first video shows a unit being shifted to the north track on the dock to be loaded on Sunday, December 19, and the second video shows the actual loading of one the next day.
I will post video of the BELUGA ENDURANCE arriving, and also departing, in the next few days.
The first video shows a unit being shifted to the north track on the dock to be loaded on Sunday, December 19, and the second video shows the actual loading of one the next day.
I will post video of the BELUGA ENDURANCE arriving, and also departing, in the next few days.
Friday, January 7, 2011
BELUGA ENDURANCE Arrives in Wales
BELUGA ENDURANCE arrived in Newport, Wales on the 3rd of January and successfully unloaded four of the five locomotives loaded in Erie last month.
However, while unloading #70012, the final locomotive, a cable on the ship's crane snapped, dropping the locomotive about 13 feet into the cargo hold of the BELUGA ENDURANCE. Reportedly damage to the unit includes cracked axles, crushed bogies, and a bent frame. There have been no reports as of yet of damage to BELUGA ENDURANCE. It's too early to say what will become of the 700012, but with that damage it seems likely that it will be scrapped and replaced with another unit.
This unfortunate incident has spawned a fan page on Facebook.
However, while unloading #70012, the final locomotive, a cable on the ship's crane snapped, dropping the locomotive about 13 feet into the cargo hold of the BELUGA ENDURANCE. Reportedly damage to the unit includes cracked axles, crushed bogies, and a bent frame. There have been no reports as of yet of damage to BELUGA ENDURANCE. It's too early to say what will become of the 700012, but with that damage it seems likely that it will be scrapped and replaced with another unit.
This unfortunate incident has spawned a fan page on Facebook.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
KEN BOOTHE SR. Update; Layup Update
Work continues on tug KEN BOOTHE SR. at the West Slip. The windows of the tug were unboarded today to reveal that there is not yet any glass in the windows; in fact, large sheets of plastic similar to garbage bags cover the openings where the tug's windows will go.
KEN BOOTHE SR. is reported about two months from completion, and will remain in Erie until its companion barge is finished and fits out in the spring of 2012.
Although the BOOTHE has been said to have been built to be a sister to the JOYCE L. VANENKEVORT, several differences exist among the two. I have posted photos of the BOOTHE and the VANENKEVORT below for comparison. Among the differences are the stack on the BOOTHE is lower, allowing 360 degree viewing from the pilothouse, the number of windows in the front of the pilothouse of the BOOTHE, and the cabin of the BOOTHE.
In today's layup update, EDGAR B. SPEER is due in Gary tomorrow morning to unload iron ore before returning to Two Harbors to load ore on its last trip. The PRESQUE ISLE is loading iron ore in Duluth for Detroit's Ecorse U.S. Steel Plant, where the vessel is expected on the 9th. CASON J. CALLAWAY is due in Conneaut to unload on the 8th, and then will head back to Two Harbors for one more trip.
All three vessels should layup here sometime around the weekend of January 15. I will continue to post position reports and track the progress of the three vessels toward Erie.
KEN BOOTHE SR. at dock this morning. The two bubblers were installed on the stern to keep the area around the propellers on the tug free of ice.
The cabin. The metal gratings on the upper level of the cabin were installed after the tug was floated from drydock.
Close up of the pilothouse of the BOOTHE SR.
KEN BOOTHE SR. on December 22.
Tug JOYCE L. VANENKEVORT departing Erie on April 15, 2008.
JOYCE L. VANENKEVORT at Erie Shipbuilding on April 14, 2008.
KEN BOOTHE SR. is reported about two months from completion, and will remain in Erie until its companion barge is finished and fits out in the spring of 2012.
Although the BOOTHE has been said to have been built to be a sister to the JOYCE L. VANENKEVORT, several differences exist among the two. I have posted photos of the BOOTHE and the VANENKEVORT below for comparison. Among the differences are the stack on the BOOTHE is lower, allowing 360 degree viewing from the pilothouse, the number of windows in the front of the pilothouse of the BOOTHE, and the cabin of the BOOTHE.
In today's layup update, EDGAR B. SPEER is due in Gary tomorrow morning to unload iron ore before returning to Two Harbors to load ore on its last trip. The PRESQUE ISLE is loading iron ore in Duluth for Detroit's Ecorse U.S. Steel Plant, where the vessel is expected on the 9th. CASON J. CALLAWAY is due in Conneaut to unload on the 8th, and then will head back to Two Harbors for one more trip.
All three vessels should layup here sometime around the weekend of January 15. I will continue to post position reports and track the progress of the three vessels toward Erie.
KEN BOOTHE SR. at dock this morning. The two bubblers were installed on the stern to keep the area around the propellers on the tug free of ice.
The cabin. The metal gratings on the upper level of the cabin were installed after the tug was floated from drydock.
Close up of the pilothouse of the BOOTHE SR.
KEN BOOTHE SR. on December 22.
Tug JOYCE L. VANENKEVORT departing Erie on April 15, 2008.
JOYCE L. VANENKEVORT at Erie Shipbuilding on April 14, 2008.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
THREE DUE FOR WINTER LAYUP
Reports from sources at Donjon Shipbuilding and Repair say that Erie will play host to three vessels for winter layup this year. Great Lakes Fleet will be sending the three vessels - 767 foot long CASON J. CALLAWAY and 1000 footers EDGAR B. SPEER and PRESQUE ISLE - into Erie.
All three of these vessels have spent the winter in Erie in the past. The SPEER spent last winter here, the PRESQUE ISLE has spent many winter layups in Erie over the course of its career, and the CALLAWAY spent the winter of 2005-06 and 2007-08 here.
According to reports the CALLAWAY will be docked at the West Slip, south of the tug KEN BOOTHE SR.
CASON J. CALLAWAY picks up speed on its way out of Erie after layup, March 21, 2008.
Churning water as the 1953-built steamer picks up speed.
EDGAR B. SPEER departing Erie on March 19, 2010.
Another view.
PRESQUE ISLE outbound following the SPEER.
Stern view.
All three of these vessels have spent the winter in Erie in the past. The SPEER spent last winter here, the PRESQUE ISLE has spent many winter layups in Erie over the course of its career, and the CALLAWAY spent the winter of 2005-06 and 2007-08 here.
According to reports the CALLAWAY will be docked at the West Slip, south of the tug KEN BOOTHE SR.
CASON J. CALLAWAY picks up speed on its way out of Erie after layup, March 21, 2008.
Churning water as the 1953-built steamer picks up speed.
EDGAR B. SPEER departing Erie on March 19, 2010.
Another view.
PRESQUE ISLE outbound following the SPEER.
Stern view.
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