Escanaba Closure

Discussion board focusing on Great Lakes Shipping Question & Answer. From beginner to expert all posts are welcome.
Yooper

Re: Escanaba Closure

Unread post by Yooper »

The Marquette dock is a LS&I dock not CN, the taconite for the most part is shipped to Soo Canada by lower lakes and Detroit by interlake
Yooper

Re: Escanaba Closure

Unread post by Yooper »

Taconite is a raw product, manufacturers purchase steel not taconite pellets. The idea that foreign countries buy taconite to provide steel jobs is absurd.
Hobieone

Re: Escanaba Closure

Unread post by Hobieone »

why can't CN move Tilden ore to the Escanaba docks ?
Jon Paul

Re: Escanaba Closure

Unread post by Jon Paul »

The cargo being loaded at the Lakehead ports of Lake Superior is not raw ore, it is processed Taconic pellets.
Many countries buying this product have their own viable Steel Industries which provide good jobs for their workers, they just lack the materials to make it.
We here in the US and Canada too have been blessed with an abundance of natural resources that can be mined and used here... coal, iron ore and limestone.
Most other countries have to important one or more of these ingredients in the steel making process.
Guest

Re: Escanaba Closure

Unread post by Guest »

The closure of Escanaba will definitely result in an uptick of ore loadings on Lake Superior. In addition, voyages from Escanaba to Indiana Harbor are considerably shorter than trips to Lake Superior which in combination with draft restrictions through the Soo Locks/St. Marys River will result in an increased number of trips to build up stockpiles at the mills for the winter closure of the locks.

Has anyone heard if they intend to dismantle the ore loading equipment or is it to be retained for possible use if needed in the future?
Guest

Re: Escanaba Closure

Unread post by Guest »

Interesting discussion, however earlier posts comment on shipments out of the seaway,this is leaving as raw ore not finished steel products, why isn't it being shipped to US steel plants to manufacture into steel?
esky

Re: Escanaba Closure

Unread post by esky »

i heard there is ore in the empire , but the price of ore is too low to make them any money . economics killed the empire
garbear

Re: Escanaba Closure

Unread post by garbear »

Jon Paul wrote:
Guest wrote:The closure of the escanaba ore dock speaks volumes to the point of a world economy that no longer needs the ore from the upper Great Lakes
If that's the case then how do you explain the increased Ore shipments on Canadien boats for delivery out the seaway?
Totally agree with Jon Paul. I don't remember in all the years I've lived in the Twin Ports seeing so much Twin Ports/North Shore taconite
heading for Quebec City and then on to overseas markets. I know it's a little exaggeration, but hardly a day goes by where there isn't a boat loading here in the Twin Ports and North Shore, in particular Two Harbors, where the cargo is destined for Quebec. This season it looks like the world economy needs Minnesota taconite.
Jon Paul

Re: Escanaba Closure

Unread post by Jon Paul »

Guest wrote:The closure of the escanaba ore dock speaks volumes to the point of a world economy that no longer needs the ore from the upper Great Lakes
If that's the case then how do you explain the increased Ore shipments on Canadien boats for delivery out the seaway?
garbear

Re: Escanaba Closure

Unread post by garbear »

Guest wrote:The closure of the escanaba ore dock speaks volumes to the point of a world economy that no longer needs the ore from the upper Great Lakes

The Empire Mine that supplied most of the ore to Escanaba closed because of no more ore. Has nothing to do with the world economy.
Guest

Re: Escanaba Closure

Unread post by Guest »

How about the Tilden Mine, just west of the Empire, near Ishpeming? The Tilden is still operating, isn't it? Is the idea that with the Empire closed, the Tilden ore can all be shipped through Marquette, with no need for assistance from Escanaba?
Guest

Re: Escanaba Closure

Unread post by Guest »

The closure of the escanaba ore dock speaks volumes to the point of a world economy that no longer needs the ore from the upper Great Lakes
rburdick27
Posts: 121
Joined: May 16, 2010, 1:44 pm

Re: Escanaba Closure

Unread post by rburdick27 »

Very slow so far in Marquette this spring. No signs of an impact, yet.
Guest

Re: Escanaba Closure

Unread post by Guest »

With the dock now closed, I imagine there will be more activity to move ore down from Lake Superior ports during the regular season. By default, the movement of ore will begin and stop from this point forward with the opening and closing of the Soo Locks. Is the loss of Escanaba going to lead to increased traffic at Marquette? Or will it shift more toward Two Harbors and Duluth? Regardless, this will definitely impact the CML fleet as their vessels were usually among the earliest out and latest to layup.
Guest

Re: Escanaba Closure

Unread post by Guest »

The ore stockpile is getting small, the block was in twice the past week
garbear

Re: Escanaba Closure

Unread post by garbear »

I guess I'll answer the question I posted. I see the Block is once again bound for Escanaba to load pellets. Obviously there is still some stockpile left.
garbear

Re: Escanaba Closure

Unread post by garbear »

Has the stockpile been completely shipped? I see the Joseph L. Block
is scheduled for here in the Twin Ports and the Joyce L. VanEnkevort/Great Lakes Trader is now on other runs. I know they were loading the majority of pellets out of Esky this spring.
Guest

Re: Escanaba Closure

Unread post by Guest »

Huronview wrote:I guess this is just an economic statement from CN. Seems to me that there was always a ship loading and one waiting every morning when looking at the news page. A lot of loads moved this winter as well. Is there another loading facility on lake MI which can load? Is the only reason to close this dock because CN doesn't want to service this dock? Thanks
It's the same situation that occurred at Ashland, Wis.; the Northern Pacific dock in Superior, Wis.; and the Taconite Harbor dock in Minnesota. When the mine or mines close, the loading dock is no longer needed.
Mr Link
Posts: 1198
Joined: December 6, 2014, 3:43 pm

Re: Escanaba Closure

Unread post by Mr Link »

Huronview wrote:I guess this is just an economic statement from CN. Seems to me that there was always a ship loading and one waiting every morning when looking at the news page. A lot of loads moved this winter as well. Is there another loading facility on lake MI which can load? Is the only reason to close this dock because CN doesn't want to service this dock? Thanks
No other ore docks on Lake Michigan. The reason the dock closed is that the mine it served, Empire Mine, closed last year. Ran out of ore worth mining. An anticipated closure that Cliffs Mining had announced years ago. The ore dock has been running since then on its stockpiled ore. Once that is gone there is nothing else to ship.
Guest

Re: Escanaba Closure

Unread post by Guest »

Huronview wrote:I guess this is just an economic statement from CN. Seems to me that there was always a ship loading and one waiting every morning when looking at the news page. A lot of loads moved this winter as well. Is there another loading facility on lake MI which can load? Is the only reason to close this dock because CN doesn't want to service this dock? Thanks
Its the only Ore dock on Lake Michigan. it mostly see's cargo movements after the locks close and before they open. aside from that small time window, they see very few loads during the shipping season.
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