Saginaw River Passages - December 14th & 15th

Friday saw the arrival of two vessels on the Saginaw River.  First in was the Manitowoc, who unloaded at the Bay City Wirt Stone dock.  By the evening, she had finished, turned in the Wirt basin, and was outbound for the lake.  The tug Olive L. Moore, with her barge, Lewis J. Kuber, were inbound to take Manitowoc's place at the Bay City Wirt dock shortly after her departure.  After discharging a partial cargo in Bay City, the Moore-Kuber continued upriver to finish unloading at the Wirt Stone dock in Saginaw.  The pair were outbound Saturday afternoon.

Vessel Passages - December 12th & 13th

The Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber were inbound on Wednesday with a split cargo for the Bay City and Saginaw Wirt Stone docks.  The pair were outbound for the lake Thursday morning.  Luedtke Engineering continues dredging work on the upper Saginaw River near the Peavey silos in Saginaw.

Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber outoubnd at Smith Park in Essexville

Tug Gregory J. Busch at the Dow Chemical Dock in Bay City

Tug Kurt Luedtke and a mud scow headed upriver from the CDF
to the dredge site in Saginaw

Saginaw River MLive Article

The following is a link to an article written by Katherine Lynch Morin of the Bay City Times dealing with the traffic this season on the Saginaw River.

Saginaw River Shipping 2012

Saginaw River Passages - December 10th

The Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber were inbound on Monday, calling on the GM dock in Saginaw to unload coal.  The pair was expected to be outbound late Monday night or early Tuesday morning.

The tug Kurt Luedtke has been busy moving mud scows between the dredge area near the Sixth Street turning basin in Saginaw and the Luedtke hydraulic dredge unloading the scows at the Confined disposal facility located on the Bay-Saginaw County line.

Saginaw River Passages - December 5th

Manitowoc was inbound on Wednesday, calling on the Wirt Stone Dock in Bay City to unload.  She was outbound for the lake early Thursday morning.

USCGC Hollyhock was inbound on Wednesday, working AToN, then spending the night at the Consumers Energy Dock in Essexville.  Hollyhock was outbound on Thursday.

Saginaw River Passage - December 3rd

Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber upbound at Cass Avenue

The Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber were back again on Monday, this time with a split load for the Wirt Stone dock in Bay City, and the GM Stone dock in Saginaw.  The pair remained at the GM dock late Monday night.

Saginaw River Passages - November 2012

More cargo was moving on the Saginaw River during the month of November in 2012 than during the same period in 2011. There were seventeen November commercial vessel passages in 2012 as compared to only twelve during 2011. For the year to date, there have been 127 commercial vessel passages on the Saginaw River, exactly the same number recorded for the same time period last year.

Saginaw River Photos - December 1st

 It has been a long time since I was able to get some photos down by the water.  While the light and sky conditions were less than perfect this morning, here are a few shots  from the Essexville area.

USS Edson hard aground at the Wirt Sand & Stone Dock in Essexville

Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber unloading at the Bay Aggregates dock
in Bay City

Tug Gregory J. Busch and Edwin Busch at the Dow Chemical Dock
in Bay City

Saginaw River Passages - November 28th & 29th

The Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber called on the Saginaw River on Wednesday with a split cargo.  The pair lightered at the Bay City Wirt Stone dock before continuing upriver to finish unloading at the Saginaw Wirt Stone Dock.  They were outbound later in the day.  The American Century was inbound on Thursday, calling on the Consumers Energy dock in Essexville.  She backed from the dock during the evening hours, Turned at Light 12 and headed for the lake.

The USCG Cutter Hollyhock was working AToN in the Saginaw River Entrance Channel on both Wednesday and Thursday, removing summer marks and placing winter marks.

Saginaw River Passages - November 26th

The Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber called on the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City Monday morning, to unload.  The pair had finished and were outbound for the lake later in the day.

The tug Kurt Luedtke has been busy moving mud barges back and forth between Luedtke's hydraulic dredge located at the Confined Disposal Facility and the dredging area, currently up near the Zilwaukee/I-75 bridge.

Saginaw River Passages - November 22nd & 23rd

The Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber were back again on Thanksgiving day, carrying a split cargo.  The pair unloaded part of the cargo at the Lafarge Stone dock in Essexville, then moved upriver to finish unloading at the GM dock in Saginaw.  The Moore & Kuber were outbound late Thursday evening.

Friday saw the tug Kurt Luedtke moving dredging equipment from the Essrock dock in Essexville, up to the confined disposal facility located on the Bay-Saginaw County Line.

Saginaw River Passages - November 20th

There were three vessels moving on the Saginaw River, Tuesday.  The tug Olive L. Moore and her barge, Lewis J. Kuber arrived with a split cargo.  The pair partially unloaded at the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City, then moved upriver to finish at the Wirt Stone dock in Saginaw.  Manitowoc was in next unloading at the Wirt Stone dock in Bay City.  Both vessels were outbound for the lake later in the day on Tuesday.

The tug Karl Luedtke was inbound on Tuesday as well, calling on the Essroc dock in Essexville.  The tug arrived with dredging equipment for upcoming dredging operations on the Saginaw River.

Saginaw River Passages - November 18th

Calumet was inbound the Saginaw River early Sunday morning, calling on the Lafarge Stone dock in Essexville.  She later moved upriver to the turning basin at the Bay City Wirt dock.  Once turned, she remained at the dock due to heavy fog that decreased visibility to near zero.  At the same time, the tug Karen Andrie and tank barge Endeavour were inbound from the Saginaw Bay at a very reduced speed.  Moving through the fog, the pair reached the Bit-Mat dock in Bay City and began unloading.  Late Sunday night the fog had cleared enough for Calumet to resume her trip outbound for the lake.

Saginaw River Passages - November 16th

Two vessels were inbound  Friday morning on the Saginaw River.  First was the Walter J. McCarthy, Jr. calling on the Consumers Energy dock in Essexville.  Next in was the Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber who traveled upriver to the GM dock in Saginaw.  Both vessels completed their unloads and were outbound later in the day Friday.

Saginaw River Passage - November 15th

The tug Dorothy Ann and her barge, Pathfinder, made their fourth visit of the season to the Saginaw River, stopping at the Bay Aggregates dock, in Bay City, to unload.  The pair were expected to be outbound late Thursday night or early Friday morning.

Saginaw River Passage - November 10th

The Algoway visited the Saginaw River on Saturday, calling on the Lafarge Stone dock in Saginaw.  She finished unloading later in the day, turned in the Sixth Street Basin, and was outbound for the lake during the early evening.

Saginaw River Passage - November 9th

The Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber were back on the Saginaw River again on Friday, this time traveling upriver to the Burroughs dock in Zilwaukee.  Once finished unloading, the pair turned in the Sixth Street Basin and were outbound for the lake Friday night.

Saginaw River Passage - November 7th

The Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber were inbound on the Saginaw River Wednesday morning, calling on the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City.  Once unloaded, the pair were expected to depart for the lake late in the evening Wednesday.

Saginaw River - October Report

There were a total of fourteen commercial vessel passages on the Saginaw River during the month of October.  This is one fewer than for October 2011, when there were fifteen.  Overall, for the year to date, there have been 110 commercial vessel passages.  This is also down from 2011 when there were 115 passages at the end of October. 

What looked to be a better year for shipping on the Saginaw River in 2012, where the pace was running ahead of 2011, in recent months has dropped off the pace and is looking like the total number of passages will be the lowest yet.

Saginaw River Passage - November 4th

Indiana Harbor was inbound the Saginaw River, bound for the Consumers Energy dock in Essexville, Sunday morning.  Once her unload was complete, she backed from the dock, out to Light 12 in the Saginaw Bay, turned, and headed for the lake during the evening.

Saginaw River Passage - November 3rd

The Stephen B. Roman was inbound early Saturday morning, calling on the Essroc dock in Essexville to unload.  The Roman had finished by late afternoon and was outbound for the lake.  The was the second delivery to Essroc since November 1st, when the G.L.Ostrander - Integrity unloaded there.

Saginaw River Passage - November 1st

Thursday saw the arrival of the tug G.L. Ostrander and her cement barge, Integrity. The pair stopped at the Essroc cement dock in Essexville, rather then their usual trip up to the Lafarge cement dock in Carrollton.  This is an unusual unload, and the first time I have seen a Lafarge vessel unload at the Essroc dock.  The Ostrander/Integrity were both still at Essroc late Thursday night.

Saginaw River Passages - October 27th

The tug Karen Andrie and her tank barge, Endeavour, called on the Bit-Mat dock in Bay City early Saturday morning.  The pair unloaded through the day and then departed for the lake later in the evening.

Saginaw River Passages - October 25th & 26th

The tug Olive L. Moore and barge Lewis J. Kuber called on the Saginaw River on Thursday, carrying a split load.  The pair stopped at the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City, before continuing upriver to finish unloading at the Buena Vista dock in Saginaw.  The Moore-Kuber were outbound Friday afternoon.
The tug Krista S. was back with more dredging equipment, stopping briefly at the Essrock dock, then moving the equipment upriver to the old Defoe slip just below the Liberty Bridge in Bay City.  The Krista S. was outbound, light tug, Friday afternoon.
The American Century was inbound Friday morning, calling on the Consumers Energy dock in Essexville to unload.  Late in the afternoon, she backed from the dock, turned at Light 12 and headed for the lake.

USS Edson

I just wanted to remind everyone that the USS Edson is open to the public for deck tours:

Weather Permitting—


Ship Weather Deck visiting hours are:

Saturday 10am–5pm

Sunday 12pm–5pm

$10 per Adult (cash or check)

Children are free

Be sure to visit the USS Edson webpage:
www.ussedson.org

Saginaw River Passages - October 21st to 23rd

The tug Spartan and her barge, Spartan II, called on the Dow Chemical dock in Bay City on Sunday.  The pair unloaded Calcium Chloride loaded in Ludington, MI.  They were outbound later that day. 
The tug Krista S. arrived on the Saginaw River on Monday with barges and dredging pipe.  The Krista S. was outbound later, light tug.
The Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber was inbound on early Tuesday morning, traveling upriver to unload at the Buena Vista dock in Saginaw.  The pair were outbound later that afternoon.

Saginaw River Passage - October 20th

Manitowoc was outbound from the Saginaw River, early Friday morning, after unloading overnight at the GM dock in Saginaw.
The tug Olive L. Moore and her barge, Lewis J. Kuber, were inbound Saturday afternoon, calling at the Wirt Stone dock in Bay City to unload.  Once finished, the pair departed Wirt and headed upriver to turn in the seldom used Airport Turning Basin, located south of Cass Avenue just off the James Clements Airport.  The Moore and Kuber will be headed for the lake before midnight.

Saginaw River Passages - October 18th

The Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber called on the Saginaw River, early Thursday morning, with a split cargo.  The pair stopped first at the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City, before continuing upriver to finish unloading at the Buena Vista dock in Saginaw.  They were outbound for the lake Thursday evening.
Manitowoc was inbound Thursday night, headed upriver to unload at the GM coal dock in Saginaw.  She was expected to be outbound Friday morning.

Saginaw Bay - October 15th

The Walter J. McCarthy, Jr. arrived on the Saginaw Bay late Sunday night, with a load of coal for the Consumer Energy dock in Essexville.  Strong winds and low water levels forced the McCarthy to stay out in the Bay overnight, through the day on Monday, and into the evening hours.  Water levels were at one point -24.88 inches below datum, but have now came back up to -6.9 inches at the time of this posting.  Wind speeds on the bay are currently NNW at 18.1 knots. 

Low Water on The Saginaw River

On Thursday, October 11th, high wind out of the Southwest pushed water out of the Saginaw Bay and River, dropping the levels more than three feet below datum.  Many structures, and long abandonded or burned vessels, normally underwater, were exposed to view.  The following photos were taken aboard the tour vessel Princess Wenonah:

The water level is normally back into the vegitation



The timbers supporting the Bay City Boat Lines Dock are exposed



Located south of the old Cass Avenue Bridge, this old hull is normally under water. 
The old Saginaw Valley Marine Terminal is in the Background

View of the old James Davidson Fleet, burned to the waterline years ago. 
These wrecks are just off the old Davidson Drydock

These two hulls are located just south of the old Cass Avenue Bridge and are usually underwater

Another view of an old James Davidson hull

Another view of one of the Cass Avenue hulls




 

Saginaw River September Passages

There were a total of 11 commercial vessel passages during the month of September.  This is compared to 19 during the same time period last year.  For the year to date, there have been 96 commercial vessel passages.  This number is down four from last year, when there were 100 passages during the same time period.

Saginaw River Report - October 1st to 11th

October started off slow, with the first commercial vessel passage not coming until the 7th, when there were two passages.  The tug Olive L. Moore and her barge, Lewis J. Kuber, traveled up to the Lafarge Stone dock in Saginaw, while the American Integrity unloaded coal at the Consumers Energy Dock in Essexville.
On the 8th, the tug Nickelena and a barge called on the Consumers Energy dock with equipment for the plant, and then late in the day, the Moore & Kuber returned with a split cargo for the Bay City and Saginaw Wirt Stone docks.
The tug Karen Andrie and her barge, Endeavour, called on the Bit-Mat dock in Bay City on the 9th.
Finally, the Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber made their 34th visit of the year, calling on the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City.

Saginaw River Update

Hi Everyone,

I have been away from the computer for a vacation, but will return soon.  Watch for updates and a recap of while I was gone around the middle of next week. 

Thanks for your patience!

Saginaw River Passage - September 27th

The tug Olive L. Moore and her barge, Lewis J. Kuber, arrived on the Saginaw River Thursday evening with a split cargo.  The pair stopped first at the Bay City Wirt Stone dock to drop part of their load, then continued upriver to finish unloading at the Saginaw Wirt Stone dock.  Thee Moore-Kuber were expected to be outbound Friday morning.

Saginaw River Passages - September 25th

The Walter J. McCarthy, Jr. called on the Saginaw River early Tuesday, stopping at the Consumers Energy dock in Essexville to unload coal.  Once finished, She backed from the dock and out to Light 12 in the Saginaw Bay, where she turned and headed for the lake.
Also inbound on Tuesday was the Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber, who arrived with a split load.  The pair dropped part of their cargo at the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City, then continued upriver to finish unloading at the Buena Vista dock in Saginaw.  The Moore & Kuber were outbound late Tuesday evening.

Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber inbound at the Saginaw River Front Range

Passing the Consumers Energy

Walter J. McCarthy, Jr. unloading a Consumers Energy in Essexville

A few feet of vessels here - Around 1,700 feet.......

Saginaw River Passage - September 23rd

The Stephen B. Roman was inbound on the Saginaw River early Sunday morning, headed for the Essroc Cement dock in Essexville to unload.  By Sunday evening, the Roman had finished unloading, turned in the Essexville basin and was outbound for the lake.

Saginaw River Passage - September 20th

Manitowoc arrived on the Saginaw River Thursday afternoon, calling on the Lafarge Stone Dock in Essexville to unload.  She was the first commercial delivery on the river in seven days, since she traveled upriver on the 13th to unload at the GM dock in Saginaw.

Manitowoc inbound at the Essexville Range

Manitowoc putting her lines out at the Lafarge Stone dock, with the USS Edson in the background

Saginaw River Traffic

Commercial shipping traffic has been slow on the Saginaw River during the month of September.  For the month to date, there have only been six vessel passages, down four from the same period last month.  For 2012, traffic had been running above last year's numbers, but with the recent slow period, the numbers have drawn even with last year, with 91 commercial passages for the year to date.
The last vessel passage on the Saginaw River was September 13th, when Manitowoc called on the GM dock in Saginaw to unload coal.

Saginaw River Passages - September 13th

Manitowoc was inbound on the Saginaw River early Thursday evening, traveling up to the GM dock in Saginaw to unload coal.  She was expected to be outbound Friday morning.

The Michigan DNR Fisheries vessel, Channel Cat, was on the Saginaw River on Thursday as well.  She joined her fellow DNR vessel, Chinook, who is also still in the area

Saginaw River Passage - September 11th

The Walter J. McCarthy, Jr. was inbound on Tuesday, calling on the Consumers Energy dock in Essexville, to unload coal.  She completed her unload by early in the evening, backed from the dock, and turned at Light 12, before heading for the lake.

Saginaw River Passages - September 8th & 9th

The tug and barge combo, Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber, were inbound on the Saginaw River Saturday evening, traveling upriver to the Lafarge Stone dock in Saginaw.  The pair completed their unload and were outbound for the lake Sunday morning.  Calumet was inbound Sunday afternoon, stopping at the Wirt Stone dock in Bay City.  She was expected to be outbound Monday morning.

Calumet inbound for the Saginaw River just past Light 12

Stern view at the Lake State Railway Bridge

At the Lake State Railway Bridge

Calumet with the USS Edson in the Background

Saginaw River Passages - August 28th - September 7th

Activity on the Saginaw River has been slow the past few weeks, with only two commercial passages.  The American Century called on the Consumers Energy dock in Essexville on September 9th to unload coal.  On September 6th, the Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber travelled up the Saginaw River to unload at the Burroughs dock in Zilwaukee.

The Michigan DNR Fisheries vessel, Chinook, was also on the Saginaw River on the 6th, stopping at the Essroc dock in Essexville for the evening, then heading back out into the Saginaw Bay on the morning of the 7th.

Saginaw River August Passages

Commercial vessel movements on the Saginaw River for August totalled 15 passages.  This is down 14 passages as compared to the same month in 2011.  For the year to date, there have been 85 vessel passages on the Saginaw River, four ahead of the same period last year.

Updates Coming

Hi Everyone,

I have just returned from a week long camping trip with my family.  Over the next few days, I will be compiling the data from the past week and posting it here.  Thank you for your patience!

Saginaw River Passages - August 26th & 27th

Sunday evening saw the arrival of two commercial vessels on the Saginaw River.  Algoway was first, calling on the North Star dock in Essexville to unload.  She was followed a few minutes behind by American Century, who called on the Consumers Energy dock in Essexville to unload coal.  Both vessels were outbound for the lake Monday morning.  Inbound on Monday was the Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber, who called on the Bay City Wirt dock to unload early in the afternoon.

Algoway inbound on the Saginaw Bay, headed for the North Star Dock

American Century on the Saginaw Bay, bound for Consumers Energy

Saginaw River Passages - August 24th

The Stephen B. Roman was inbound the Saginaw River early Friday morning, calling on the Essroc Cement dock in Essexville to unload.  She was expected to be outbound early Saturday morning.  Calumet was on the Saginaw Bay, inbound for the Saginaw River late Friday night.

Saginaw River Passages - August 22nd

The tug Karen Andrie and her tank barge, Endeavour, called on the Bit-Mat dock in Bay City on Wednesday.  The pair were unloading there during the evening Wednesday and early morning Thursday.  Calumet was inbound late Wednesday night, calling on the GM dock in Saginaw.  She was expected to be outbound Thursday morning.

Karen Andrie and barge Endeavour at the Bit-Mat Dock in Bay City

View up the Bay Aggregates Slip, where the connection for Bit-Mat
is located

View with the USS Edson in the background

Saginaw River Passage - August 19th

American Century called on the Saginaw River late Sunday afternoon, stopping at the Consumers Energy dock in Essexville to unload coal. She was expected to back from the dock early Monday morning, turn and head for the lake.

Saginaw River Passage - August 18th

Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber were inbound the Saginaw River on Saturday with a split cargo. The pair unloaded a partial cargo at the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City, before moving upriver and finishing at the Buena Vista dock in Saginaw. The Moore-Kuber were outbound for the lake, late Saturday night.

Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber unloading in the Bay Aggregates slip

Saginaw River Passages - August 14th & 15th



Calumet and Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber unloading at the Bay City
Wirt Stone Dock

The tug Zeus and her tank barge, Robert F. Deegan, called on the Dow Chemical dock in Bay City to unload on Tuesday. The pair were outbound for the lake early Wednesday morning.


Calumet was inbound Wednesday morning to unload sugar stone at the Bay City Wirt Stone dock. She completed her unload, turned off the dock in the Wirt turning basin and was outbound for the lake Wednesday evening

Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber arrived at the Bay City Wirt dock a short time later, unloading a partial cargo there, then the pair proceeded upriver to finish unloading at the Wirt Stone dock in Saginaw. They were expected to be outbound early Thursday morning.





Caulmet is unloading Sugar Stone
Moore - Kuber is unloading Wirt Stonemix or "Wirt Dirt"

Calumet outbound from the Saginaw River the evening of August 15th

Olive L. Moore - Lewis J Kuber unloading at Bay City Wirt

Headed upriver to finish unloading at the Saginaw Wirt Stone Dock

Tug Zeus and tank barge Robert F. Deegan at the Dow Chemical Dock
in Bay City

Unloading at Dow Chemical on August 14th