Saginaw River Passage - September 6, 2025: Alpena - Part 2

Here are a few more shots of Alpena, this time from just after sunrise on Saturday morning.  Photos taken 9/6/25.

Saginaw River Passage - September 6, 2025: Alpena

After spending the spring and summer in Cleveland undergoing repairs, Alpena is finally back out on the lakes delivering cement, logging her first visit of the season to the Saginaw River, arriving around 2am Saturday morning.  Alpena traveled up the river to unload in Essexville at the Amrize Cement Dock.  Photos taken 9/6/25

Saginaw River Passage - September 4, 2025: Spartan/Spartan II

The tug Spartan and her tank barge, Spartan II, arrived on the Saginaw River Thursday morning, calling on the Port Fisher Terminals Dock in Bay City to unload for Occidental Chemical.  This was their first visit of the season to the Saginaw River and just missed by one day the anniversary of their visit here in 2024 on September 3.  Photos taken 9/4/2025

Saginaw River Passage - September 4, 2025: Defiance/Ashtabula

Defiance/Ashtabula were inbound from Saginaw Bay on Thursday morning, headed for the Port Fisher slip in Bay City to unload for Bay Aggregates.  The pair were expected to finish unloading and be outbound later in the afternoon.  Photos taken 9/4/25

Saginaw River Passage - September 2, 2025: American Courage

American Courage was back on the Saginaw River Tuesday afternoon, traveling up to the Burroughs North - GM Dock in Saginaw to unload.  Once finished, with her unload, she turned and was back outbound for the lake Wednesday morning.  Photos taken 9/2/25

Saginaw River Report - August 2025

There were 21 commercial vessel passages on the Saginaw River for the month of August 2025, with 12 different docks receiving 29 separate deliveries of product.  This accounts for split cargo delivered by one vessel to more than one dock per visit.  The 21 vessel passages represent four fewer than recorded during August 2024.  Looking at the long-term averages for August 2025, the month was higher than all of them, with the 5-year average at 23 passages, the 10-year average at 23 passages, the 15-year average at 22 passages, and the 20-year average at 23 commercial vessel passages for the month of August.

For the total number of commercial vessel passages for the year-to-date, there were 115, which is four more passages than last year at this point.  Looking at the averages, the 115 passages for the year to date are again higher than all the long-terms with the 5-year average at 105, the 10-year average at 97, the 15-year average at 91, and the 20-year average at 99 vessel passages for the month of August.

During the month of August, there were 16 deliveries to the docks on the lower half of the Saginaw River, located in Essexville and Bay City, and 13 deliveries to upper river docks, located in Zilwaukee, Carrollton, and Saginaw.  8 vessels carried split loads with cargo unloaded at more than one dock.  For the year-to-date, there have been 93 lower river deliveries and 68 upper river deliveries, with 44 split loads.

The number of deliveries and docks receiving or shipping cargo were:

7 – Wirt Stone Dock – Saginaw

6 – Port Fisher/Bay Aggregates Dock – Bay City

3 – Wirt Stone Dock – Bay City

2 – Wirt Sand & Stone Dock – Essexville

2 – Holcim Cement Dock – Essexville

2 – ACE/Saginaw Paving – Crow Island Dock

2 – U.S. Paving & Stone Materials Dock - Carrollton

1 – Burroughs North – GM Dock

1 – Burroughs North – Zilwaukee Dock

1 – Burroughs North – Essexville Dock

1 – Port Fisher/Occidental Chemical Dock – Bay City

1 – Wirt Sand & Stone Fertilizer Dock - Essexville