Pictures of the departure: / duluthshipphotography
About this visit:
The Mesabi Miner Arrived Duluth May 18, 2024 for the 3rd time this season at 15:53, arriving through the canal at a clip of 6 kts. They arrived at the CN dock at 18:02, and began loading ore. They finished up and departed CN May 19 at 16:18, departed duluth at 17:18, cruising out the canal at 5.8 kts, heading to Indiana Harbor
A little bit about the BNSF #5
BNSF RAILWAY DOCK 5
• Dock Length: 1,470 ft.
• Depth: 27 ft.
• Capacity: 73,156 ton dock / 5.2 million ton storage yard
• Rail Service: Mixed freight (manifest) and single
commodity (unit) capable
Info on the Dock from wikimapia.org/6414113/BNSF-Allouez-Taconite-Facillity-Dock-5:
The BNSF Allouez Taconite Facility, designated as BNSF Dock No. 5, is completely devoted to loading large bulk freighters with taconite pellets (a low-grade iron-bearing rock processed into higher-grade "marbles") from huge storage silos on the dock. Formerly owned by the Pittsburgh Coal Dock & Wharf Co., Dock No. 5 was a large bulk coal export and facility until its purchase by BNSF predecessor BN in the early 1970’s.
As BNSF was winding down operations at the neighboring quad-pier facility which was largely built at the turn of the century and last modernized in the 1920’s, the railroad quickly began construction of a large silo structure on the pier which was connected to the nearby BNSF railyard by a 3.5-mile conveyor system. Placed into operation in 1978, the silo-conveyor system has since become the main taconite loading facility for BNSF and is visited daily by the large lake freighters who shuttle the ore to various steel mills around the Great Lakes.
About the Miner, from the Interlake site:
M/V Mesabi Miner was christened in 1977 to honor the men and women of Minnesota’s Mesabi Iron Range. She was built by American Ship Building Company in Lorain, Ohio, and has always been part of the Interlake fleet. Her self-unloading system includes three cargo hold belts and a 265-foot boom.
Interesting Facts
She is the sister ship of the James R. Barker.
1978, she loaded the first cargo of ore at DM&IR's new loading dock in Two Harbors, Minnesota.
In 1986, she became the first thousand footer to deliver coal in the Saginaw River.
She was the final vessel to arrive for lay-up at the Twin Ports in 2006.
Statistics
Carrying Capacity: 63,300 Gross Tons
Overall Length: 1004.0'
Year Built: 1977
Hull Depth: 50.0'
Beam: 105.0'
Engine Horsepower: 16,000