First boat arrives at Port of Calcite–sign of spring

by Peter Jakey–Managing Editor
Sure signs of spring are the arrival of the first robin and the first boat at the Port of Calcite.
The Great Lakes Trader and tug, Joyce L. Van Enkevort, found its way to the south dock last Friday at 5:40 p.m.
There was no ice to be seen as in previous years, but it was a chilly start to the boating season.
And for the first, it was a rather smooth loading process for boat No. 1, with a departure time the next morning at 11:50 a.m.
“Things went fairly well, we did not have any major issues,” said production manager Chris Schuch. “It was going to Buffington in Gary, Indiana. The first load of the year was 32,531 tons.”
“It was a blend of E1 and E2 (60 percent and 40),” said William de Changy, site operation manager.
“It’s kilm feed,” added Schuch.

The Great Lakes trader is the 16th-largest carrier on the Great Lakes at 740 feet, according to Boatnerd.com. The 135-foot tug Joyce L. Van Enkevort was built in 1998 by Bay Shipbuilding Co., Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.
The second boat came in almost as soon as the Great Lakes Trader and her tug moved on with the Great Republic arriving Saturday at 1:15 p.m.
Wednesday morning, the Philip R. Clarke made it to Rogers City. That was boat number five of the season.
With the arrival of boats and return of our snowbirds, let the spring warm-up begin for good.