Calumet returns to Ludington

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By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief

LUDINGTON — The 630-foot MV Calumet returned to the Ludington Thursday, Oct. 29, delivering a load of limestone to the Rieth-Riley Construction Great Lakes Materials terminal on Pere Marquette Lake.

The self-unloading freighter arrived about 11 a.m. after traveling from Port Inland in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where it had loaded its cargo.

According to Terry Laman of Rieth-Riley Construction, the Calumet unloaded a portion of its cargo in Ludington before continuing north to Manistee, where it was scheduled to deliver the remainder to Rieth-Riley’s terminal on Manistee Lake.

The vessel departed the Ludington dock about 2:30 p.m.

The aggregate delivered to the terminals is used in road construction and other building projects.

The Calumet last visited Ludington on Aug. 27.

The Calumet was built in 1973 by American Ship Building Co. in Lorain, Ohio. Originally named William R. Roesch, the vessel was built for Union Commerce Bank of Ohio and managed by Kinsman Marine Transit Co.

The vessel later operated for Pringle Transit Co., a subsidiary of Oglebay-Norton Marine. In 1995, it was renamed David Z. Norton in honor of the company’s founder. Following the sale of Oglebay-Norton’s River Class fleet in 2006, its name was shortened to David Z.

In 2008, the vessel was renamed Calumet, taking the name of an earlier Great Lakes freighter built in 1929 for U.S. Steel and scrapped in 2007.

Today, the Calumet is operated by Grand River Navigation of Traverse City, a subsidiary of Mainstay Maritime of Williamsville, New York.

The vessel measures 630 feet long and 68 feet wide, with a cargo capacity of approximately 19,650 tons. It is equipped with a 260-foot self-unloading boom that allows it to discharge bulk cargo directly onto shore facilities.

Powered by two ALCO V16 diesel engines, the Calumet has a maximum speed of approximately 14 knots, or 16 mph.

The Calumet is a sister ship to the MV Manitowoc, another frequent visitor to Ludington and Manistee. Both vessels are part of Grand River Navigation’s fleet of smaller Great Lakes bulk carriers, which can serve harbors and river terminals inaccessible to the lake’s larger freighters.

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