St. Lawrence Seaway: July 2022

Jul 31, 2022

List of Ships Seen July 2022

SOPHIA
FEDERAL CHAMPLAIN
BLAIR MCKIEL
FEDERAL ASAHI
EVANS SPIRIT
SARAH DESGAGNES
ALGOMA EQUINOX
HEERENGRACHT
BRANT
ALGOMA CONVEYOR
IVER BRIGHT
HARBOUR FEATURE
BBC ARKHANGELSK
KAMINISTIQUA
FEDERAL NAGARA
ALGOMA INTREPID
HINCH SPIRIT
CAPTAIN HENRY JACKMAN
FEDERAL SATSUKI
SLOMAN DISPATCHER
VECTIS PRIDE
FEDERAL YOSHINO
IVER AMBITION
RT HON PAUL J MARTIN
G3 MARQUIS
RODOPI
OSOGOVO
DAMIA DESGAGNES
ISOLDA
EVERLAST & NORMAN MCLEOD
HELENA G
FAGELGRACHT
OAKGLEN
ALGOMA HANSA
FEDERAL CLYDE

Jul 29, 2022

July Ships (July 8 thru July 29, 2022)

FEDERAL YOSHINO downbound July 8, 2022.
Built in 2001, sistership to FEDERAL KUSHIRO and FEDERAL SHIMANTO.

ALGOMA CONVEYOR upbound on July 11, 2022.
The 2019-built ALGOMA CONVEYOR competes with the surreal blue of the St. Lawrence River. The self-unloader is on her way back upriver after delivering a load to Becancour, Quebec.

A regular on the Seaway, EVANS SPIRIT is downbound on July 16, 2022.
Middle of the St. Lawrence River in the middle of July.

BBC ARKHANGELSK downbound July 14, 2022.
A relatively new vessel on the Seaway, built in 2020.
Reportedly ran aground in the St. Lawrence Seaway near Rivière-Beaudette, Quebec on June 28 2022 after experiencing steering issues. Fortunately the vessel was successfully refloated.

FEDERAL ASAHI downbound for Sorel, Quebec July 20.
Built in 2000, she has MANY sisterships, including FEDERAL HUDSON, FEDERAL KIVALINA, FEDERAL KUMANO, FEDERAL NAKAGAWA, FEDERAL OSHIMA, FEDERAL SETO, FEDERAL WELLAND and FEDERAL YUKON.

VECTIS PRIDE of Douglas upbound for Hamilton on July 22, 2022.
Interesting bow design on this saltie, built in 2012, Ice Class 1A.
One of several vessels operated by the joint-venture of Carisbrooke Shipping (United Kingdom) and their joint-venture partner SMT Shipping. Apparently CSL has also become involved.

OSOGOVO with hatches open, upbound July 26, 2022 for Thunder Bay.
One of several NAVI-BULGAR (Navigation Maritime Bulgare) vessels to transit the Seaway this season.

Upbound Polsteam saltwater vessel ISOLDA meets downbound tanker DAMIA DESGAGNES halfway between the Eisenhower and Iroqois Locks, July 27, 2022.

A dramatic sky as the HELENA G is upbound on the Seaway July 27, 2022.
The vessel is noted as being the last saltie to exit the Seaway system in December 2021.

FAGELGRACHT upbound on July 27, 2022.
Shipping containers and pleasurecraft on her deck, she's destined for Cleveland to unload part of her cargo. Afterwards, she'll continue on all the way to Duluth, Superior.
(On her return tripdownbound she would transit the Seaway August 12, 2022)

Seaway Traffic (OAKGLEN, ALGOMA HANSA, FEDERAL CLYDE, IVER BRIGHT)

Arrived at the river just in time to catch OAKGLEN.
Back of the ship is facing the morning light to reveal the CSL red, while the starboard side of the hull is still in darkness...

OAKGLEN is upbound

Just by her silhouette, OAKGLEN bears a resemblance to the FedNav vessel she once was...
(FEDERAL DANUBE and LAKE ONTARIO)

Also saw the downbound ALGOMA HANSA (a frequent sight on this leg of the Seaway)

Heard a nearby rumble that could only be an approaching ship... A big red FedNav vessel (FEDERAL CLYDE) followed the upbound CSL ship that had transited less than an hour ago.

The only ship I was actually prepared for was the IVER BRIGHT, another familiar sight on the Seaway.

Jul 27, 2022

A set of perfect Seagull tracks.
The angle of the rising sun really made these tracks pop.
The "cover photo" for the day is the first shot I took...

Another favorite shot from the day.
Just love the color!

ISOLDA upbound for Cleveland.
Many of the Polsteam vessels appear to have shiny new blue paint...
The angle of the sun made it difficult to capture it on camera.
Played around with the colors to "re-vive" the photo.

Seaway Traffic (DAMIA DESGAGNES, ISOLDA, EVERLAST & NORMAN MCLEOD, HELENA G, FAGELGRACHT)

DAMIA DESGAGNES downbound for Montreal.

It's always special to see two big ships "meet" or pass right in front of you.
Transiting the Seaway 24 hours per day, with an average of 10 vessels per day, I tend to see an average of 3 ships per trip during daylight hours... Some days I can see 7 of them. Other days, a mere 1 ship in a 12 hour period, or even zero.

ISOLDA
The POLSTEAM vessel appears to have a hull of shiny blue paint...
But the angle of the sun would not allow me to capture it on camera.

EVERLAST & NORMAN MCLEOD
Tug and barge combination is a frequent sight on the Seaway, traveling back and forth all summer long.

HELENA G
Also managed to get a decent side-view snapshot of foreign crane ship HELENA G. The upbound saltie was the last downbound ship in 2021 to use the Eisenhower locks last December as the seaway closed for the season.

HELENA G upbound

On the return trip got to see FAGELGRACHT upbound.

Coincidentally would see FAGELGRACHT arrive (or depart???) on the Duluth Harbour cam.

Another "perfect" day at the river?

Jul 26, 2022

Seaway Traffic (G3 MARQUIS, RODOPI and OSOGOVO)

A steady parade of upbound ships later in the afternoon...
Plus good visibility of 15-20 miles looking downriver.

Could have used better lighting to capture the freshly painted G3 MARQUIS.

As the MARQUIS approached, a saltwater crane ship was visible in the background.

RUDOPI was the next vessel, upbound for Sault Ste Marie.

OSOGOVO followed on the heels of her laden sister...
OSOGOVO was destined for Thunder Bay, and appeared to be travelling light, hatches open to dry the holds.

Amazing how the sunlight can change dramatically in less than an hour.

New railroad tracks installed, with fresh asphalt at the crossing.

Finally managed to capture a snapshot of a Yellow Warbler.
Not a great shot, but relatively clear...

Nesting grounds of the Canada Goose.
Feathers and eggshell remnants.

Jul 23, 2022

Seaway Traffic (IVER AMBITION)

Just one ship on this a windy day...

Apparently, just four vessels transited the Seaway system (average is closer to ten for the entire day). IVER AMBITION was the only one I caught, as the other three may have slipped by in the darkness.

IVER AMBITION, downbound

Jul 22, 2022

Seaway Traffic (CAPTAIN HENRY JACKMAN, FEDERAL SATSUKI, SLOMAN DISPATCHER)

One of the longest Seaway ships...
The big CAPTAIN HENRY JACKMAN (downbound).

FEDERAL SATSUKI, hatches open, revealing the "H" of the ship's helipad.
I've heard that it takes 45 minutes for a vessel to transit the locks (providing there are no delays)...
The FEDERAL SATSUKI arrived exactly 45 minutes on the heels of the JACKMAN.

So many ships in recent weeks that I completely forgot about SLOMAN DISPATCHER of the "SLOMAN NEPTUN" fleet.

Managed to salvage some of the color of this interesting vessel.

Fills the daily quota of random salties to fill out an afternoon of shipwatching.

Jul 17, 2022

Duck, Duck, Ship...

Maple tree, ducklings, and the silhouette of a fishing boat.
I love the sparkles at the feet of the ducklings.

Female Mallard Duck.
Presumably the mother of the ducklings seen minutes earlier.

My first- and only ship of the day... The ALGOMA HANSA

Seen her many times - although I don't think I actually have any photographs that do justice to her bright blue hull.

I always seem to notice her asymmetrical design...
Smokestack on one side, lifeboat on the other.

Jul 16, 2022

What Lies Beneath...

A calm day with decent visibility for exploring more of the submerged ruins of the Lost Villages...

Acres of toppled and displaced stones with plants growing all around...

Most of the old foundations are comprised of flat rocks...

Among the ruins, is a large structure in remarkable condition.

It's very unusual to find a poured concrete foundation...

The Dark Side of the Boom...

In this shot the crane of the ALGOMA INTREPID is against the sunlight.
The silhouette profile bears a resemblance to the classic laker with the forward wheelhouse.