Story and photos by Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief
LUDINGTON — The Norwegian-flagged tanker MV Prime is the first ship to visit the Port of Ludinton this season. The vessel arrived late Saturday night but anchored offhosre west of the mouth of the Lincoln River overnight. The ship entered the harbor just after sunrise Sunday morning, destined for the OxyChem Ludington plant dock on Pere Marquette Lake. The oil and chemical tanker measures approximately 459 feet in length and 69 feet in width. It has a gross tonnage of 9,910 and a deadweight capacity of about 16,260 short tons.
Prime is powered by an engine rated at approximately 11,330 horsepower and is designed to transport refined petroleum products and liquid chemicals. The ship sails under the Norwegian International Ship Register.
The vessel was built in 2004 at the Estaleiros Navais de Viana do Castelo shipyard in Viana do Castelo, Portugal. It was originally constructed for Finnish operator Neste Shipping Oy and entered service under the name Kiisla. It later sailed as CM Prime before taking its current name.
The tug Sarah Andrie waits to assist the Prime.
Ownership of the vessel is listed under MES Trade Invest AG, with management handled by OSM Ship Management AS.
Historically, Prime has operated primarily in Northern European waters, including ports in the Baltic and North Sea regions such as Rotterdam and Amsterdam, serving as a regional carrier of refined petroleum products and chemicals. Its presence on the Great Lakes appears to be a more recent development.
The tanker entered the Great Lakes earlier this month via the St. Lawrence Seaway after departing Rotterdam and making a stop in Montreal. Prior to arriving in Ludington, it had called at Port Colborne, Ontario.
The tug Sarah Andrie, a U.S.-flag boat based in Muskegon, assisted with the docking maneuver at the OxyChem facility. The tug is owned and operated by Andrie Inc., a Muskegon-based company that provides towing and petroleum transportation services on the Great Lakes.
The Prime makes its turn toward dock on Pere Marquette Lake.
Sarah Andrie measures approximately 106 feet in length and 32 feet in width and is powered by engines rated at about 3,800 to 3,900 horsepower. The tug was built in 1970 by Main Iron Works in Houma, Louisiana and was originally named Miss Stacy until 1999 when it was owned by Foss Maritime and renamed Stacy Foss. In 2015, Andrie purchased the boat and renamed it Sarah Andrie.
AIS data showed the tug departed Muskegon earlier Saturday and arrived in Ludington Saturday afternoon ahead of the tanker to assist with the docking operation.
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