Algoma Innovator was inbound on the Saginaw River shortly after midnight, stopping at the Wirt Sand & Stone Fertilizer Dock in Essexville to unload. She completed her unload around 6am, swung her boom in, and turned off the dock in the Essexville Basin. Algoma Innovator was outbound for the lake around 7am Friday morning.
Algoma Innovator was inbound on the Saginaw River, shortly after midnight, stopping at the Wirt Sand & Stone Fertilizer Dock in Essexville to unload. She completed her unload around 6am, swung her boom in, and turned off the dock in the Essexville Basin. Algoma Innovator was outbound for the lake around 7am Friday morning. Aerial photos and a video will be posted later today. Photos taken 5/1/26
The 2026 shipping season finally began on the Saginaw River, Sunday evening, with the arrival of the tug G.L Ostrander and her barge, Integrity. The pair called on the Amrize Cement Dock in Essexville to finish unloading powdered cement after unloading a partial cargo in Detroit before coming here. While it was a very late start to the season here, it was not the latest. That distinction goes to the 2014 season, when Olive L. Moore/Lewis J. Kuber opened the season on April 29th, delivering a cargo to Bay Aggregates. You can also see the new “AmRize” paint on the sides of the barge, new from last season reflecting the change from “Holcim”.
The photo quality is not a good for these, as I had to use the 3x & 7x zoom lenses on the drone to capture the photos, but here are some shots across the St. Clair River into Sarnia, the North Slip, and surrounding area. Featured are Saginaw, Robert S. Pierson, Algoma Innovator, Jiimaan, and the Huron Lightship. Photos taken 4/11/26
