Saginaw River Passage - April 21, 2023

Cuyahoga was outbound on the Saginaw River Friday morning, after unloading overnight in Saginaw. She again ran into difficulty when Liberty Bridge in Bay City did not open, causing Cuyahoga to take action for the second day in a row at this bridge, this time fighting the wind and current. On Thursday during their inbound trip, Cuyahoga had to come to a stop at Liberty for almost 30 minutes before the bridge opened for her.

Saginaw River Passage - April 15, 2023

Sam Laud was the third vessel to call on the Saginaw River this season and the first to travel to the upper river and unload in Saginaw. Sam Laud arrived Saturday afternoon with a split cargo, delivering a partial load to the Burroughs/Levy Dock in Zilwaukee, then finishing at the Saginaw Rock Products/Burroughs Saginaw Dock. This was the first commercial vessel passage since March 12th and March 23rd when the season started with visits by Samuel de Champlain/Innovation and then by G.L. Ostrander/Integrity.

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Spar also arrived on the Saginaw River on Saturday to work Aids to Navigation on Saginaw Bay.

Saginaw River Report - March 2023

While the report for vessel passages on the Saginaw River for March is brief, it is more then we have had the previous two seasons...

With the arrival of the tug Samuel de Champlain and cement barge Innovation, on March 12th, the 2023 shipping season got underway on the Saginaw River. This is the earliest start to the season since I began keeping records in 2005. There were a total of 2 commercial vessel passages on the Saginaw River for the month of March 2023, both were deliveries to the Holcim cement dock in Essexville. There were no March deliveries in either 2021 or 2022. Looking at the long term averages, these two passages are well above the 5, 10, and 15-year averages of .6, .6, and .5 respectively.  

Saginaw River Passage - March 23rd

G.L. Ostrander/Integrity inbound on the Saginaw River, headed for the Holcim Cement Dock in Essexville on March 23rd. This was their first visit of the season and first with the new blue trim color on the tug and Holcim logos on the barge.  

Saginaw River Passage - March 12, 2023

With the arrival of the tug Samuel de Champlain and cement barge Innovation, the 2023 shipping season has started on the Saginaw River. The pair arrived at the Holcim Cement dock in Essexville at 3:05 am on Sunday, March 12th. This is the earliest start to the season since I began keeping records in 2005. The earliest I had recorded before today was on March 18, 2020 when the tug Spartan and tank barge Spartan II arrived at the Port Fisher Dock in Bay City. The latest start to a season on the Saginaw River? April 29th, 2014.

Saginaw River Sunday! - 2022 Year in Review - September 2022

 Here are my favorite photos from September 2022:

Saginaw River Sunday! - 2022 Year in Review - August 2022

 Here are my favorite shots from the 2022 season during the month of August