(Information provided by Duluth Port Authority)
Maiden Voyage from Hong Kong to Duluth to weekend discharge of heavy-lift cargo
A newly christened oceangoing vessel, the
Clipper Gemini, sailed into the
Port of Duluth-Superior today. It’s not
often that Duluth ends up being a port of call on a ship’s
maiden voyage from Hong Kong!
The 393-foot Bahamian-flag vessel was loaded in and
left Kobe, Japan, on Feb. 23, 2012. En route to Duluth, she wound her
way around the globe via Xingang, China; Songkhla, Thailand; Singapore;
the Suez Canal; Gibralter; Poole, UK; and
Hamburg and Rostok, Germany, before entering the St. Lawrence Seaway on
April 28. She made one last stop in Valleyfield (Quebec) before
arriving in the Twin Ports.
Over the weekend, crews from Lake Superior
Warehousing Co. will discharge its breakbulk cargo of gas and steam
turbine/generator components for a large electricity generation project
(including six heavy-lift units) at the Clure Public
Marine Terminal, the port’s only breakbulk terminal. From
Duluth, the cargo will move its final leg via specialized railcar and
truck to the ENMAX Shepard Energy Centre in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
“Delivery of this significant cargo has been
painstakingly planned down to the last detail,” said Gianna Manes, ENMAX
Corporation President and CEO. “Each of the natural-gas fired turbines
weighs about 735,000 pounds and are the equivalent
to a 4-story building in length. Once in place and operational, the 800
MW Shepard Energy Centre will be a pivotal facility to Alberta’s
growing electricity needs.”
Cargo onboard the
Clipper Gemini
is one of nearly 20 shipments of heavy machinery and other
energy-related equipment expected in the Twin Ports during 2012, the
majority of which will include components for
U.S. wind energy projects.
