Saginaw River Passage - April 30th

Mississagi was outbound from the Saginaw River, early Wednesday morning, after unloading on Tuesday at the Buena Vista dock in Saginaw.   USCG STANT Saginaw River 49422 was also workin on AToN in the upper Saginaw River.

USCG 49422 headed upriver to place AToN

Mississagi outbound at the Lake State Railway Bridge

Stern view at Smith Park in Essexville

Saginaw River Passage - April 29th, 2014

The 2014 commercial shipping season finally got underway on the Saginaw River, with the arrival of two vessels on Tuesday.  The Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber were the first arrival, calling on the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City.  The pair arrived just after midnight and were back outbound before 9am.  Next in was Mississagi, traveling to the upper river to unload at the Buena Vista dock in Saginaw.  Mississagi arrived at the dock shortly after 9am.  She remained tied up at there late Tuesday night.

The Olive L. Moore - Lewis J. Kuber were scheduled to load at Cedarville and return to the Saginaw River with a split cargo for Bay Aggregates and the Buena Vista docks.

Saginaw River Update - 2014 Season Start

The Saginaw River is still awaiting the first commercial vessel delivery of the 2014 shipping season, but even with all of the delays and troubles across the Great Lakes due to ice; it is not unusual to not have a commercial vessel passage at this point of the year.  Over the past nine seasons, here are the dates for the first commercial vessel passage on the Saginaw River:

2013 – April 16

2012 – April 2

2011 – April 12

2010 – March 31

2009 – April 18

2008 – March 27

2007 – March 25

2006 – March 26

2005 – March 28

The U.S. Coast Guard has twice scheduled a break out of the Saginaw River Entrance Channel and has then cancelled it both times due to assets being needed elsewhere.  Currently, the Saginaw River is ice free, and at the mouth of the river, the shipping channel is open water out to at least the Confined Disposal Island.