Скачать или смотреть First Out of the Gate! American Century Kicks Off the 2025 Duluth Season

American Century is the first ship on the move here for the season! Sailing first at sunrise to the fuel dock to top off then slowly backing under the Blatnik to load coal about 3 hours later. Several other ships including Lee A Tregutha and Walter J McCarthy are also expected to start moving today, as well as the Erie Trader/Clyde S VanEnkevort arriving off the lake in the first arrival of the season. We’ll find out who’s the first under the Lift Bridge! It will take the Century about 12 hours load, likely departing Duluth 10pm to midnight tonight. Can’t wait! Shipping season has begun!

Built in 1981 as the Columbia Star, flagship of the Columbia Shipping company (the first new vessel to claim that title since the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald), the 1,000ft long vessel specializes in the iron ore and coal trades. On paper her carrying capacity is 80,900 tons, however due to depth restrictions in the rivers connecting the Lakes she has never been loaded past 75,000 tons. The ship was sold to American Steamship along with several other vessels and renamed American Century in 2006 following severe financial troubles and eventual closure of Columbia Transportation/ Oglebay Norton. She has not had any significant issues or incidents so far. One of the largest freshwater ships in the world, she a vital part of the Great Lakes landscape and has set several world records for freshwater water cargo tonnage in her career, although the current record of 77,500 tons currently belongs to her twin sister ship Indiana Harbor.

Hope you enjoy and let’s welcome the ships and their crews back to the Great Lakes!