Paul R. Tregurtha - Roaring Into Duluth at Full Volume

Here is the Paul R. Tregurtha arriving empty in Duluth, Minnesota on the morning of September 7, 2025. Instead of picking up her usual load of coal from Midwest Energy, the Tregurtha was in town to pick up taconite pellets from the Canadian National dock in West Duluth. The taconite was scheduled for delivery to Toledo, Ohio.

The Queen of the Lakes always draws a larger crowd than most ships and this arrival was no different. Even the less-crowded south pier had more than the usual amount of onlookers... though it's always the north pier that is packed with the most tourists. The Tregurtha gave a very loud captain's salute on her way in, which was answered by the Aerial Lift Bridge.

You can tell just by looking at the Tregurtha that she wasn't going to the coal dock, as her stairs are set up for the port side on this arrival... a good sign she would be loading at the CN dock, as she ties up with her port side against the dock. (Her starboard side is used for docking at Midwest Energy.) Over the coming months, we will start to see the Tregurtha hauling more and more taconite as the demand for coal deliveries starts to taper off. Coal deliveries to St. Clair are expected to end in 2026 as the power plant converts to natural gas. Delivers to Monroe will likely cease around 2032. We may see the Midwest Energy Terminal shut down completely by then, which will have a big impact on the shipping traffic we see in Duluth-Superior.

The 1013' 6" Paul R. Tregurtha is the longest ship on the Great Lakes, earning her the title "Queen of the Lakes." She has held that title longer than any other lake carrier. She was launched in 1981 as the William J. DeLancey, a name she carried until 1990 when she was named after the Vice Chairman of Interlake Steamship, the ship's operator. The Paul R. Tregurtha is powered by a pair of medium-speed MaK M43C 6-cylinder diesel engines providing a combined 17,120 BHP. Her five cargo holds are accessed by 36 deck hatches. She can hold a maximum of 68,000 tons. Her self-unloading system consists of a 260-foot unloading boom which can discharge at a rate of 10,000 tons of iron ore per hour or 6,000 net tons of coal per hour.
____________________

If you are interested in supporting this channel to keep new videos coming, I accept PayPal donations at the following link:

https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/1long...

Donations of any size are gratefully accepted, as they help offset my travel expenses to capture this footage. (Ad revenue from my videos covers less than half of my travel expenses.) Your views, likes, comments, and subscriptions also help this channel and are greatly appreciated. Thank you!