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This MCP Boat Blog is presented by Manistee Harbor Tours, operator of the Princess of Manistee, and the Port of Ludington Maritime Museum, www.masoncountymihistory.org.
Photos and story by Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief
LUDINGTON — Pere Marquette Lake is hosting an unusually busy week of commercial vessel traffic as three working vessels occupy the OxyChem terminal while a lake freighter is expected to arrive Friday morning with a cargo of aggregate.
Currently in port are the Norwegian-flagged chemical tanker Prime, the tug Candace Elise and tank barge Robert F. Deegan, along with the tug Sarah Andrie, which is assisting the Prime during its visit. The combination of multiple commercial vessels at the OxyChem dock has made for an active waterfront.
The Prime returned to Ludington after being absent for several weeks. Automatic Identification System (AIS) vessel tracking had shown the tanker anchored in the St. Mary’s River off De Tour Village in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula for the past couple of weeks before it headed south to Ludington. The vessel has become a regular visitor this shipping season following a change in OxyChem’s transportation operations.
Earlier this year, OxyChem began using the Prime to transport liquid calcium chloride produced at its Ludington plant to Canadian customers, replacing the longtime service previously provided by the tug Spartan and barge Spartan II. The Prime, built in Portugal in 2004, is a 459-foot chemical tanker sailing under the Norwegian International Ship Register. During its Ludington calls, it is assisted by the 106-foot tug Sarah Andrie, operated by Andrie Inc. of Muskegon, which provides docking and harbor escort services.
Also at the OxyChem terminal are the tug Candace Elise and the tank barge Robert F. Deegan. Owned by Ashton Marine Co. of North Muskegon and USS Great Lakes LLC, respectively, the tug-and-barge combination is a familiar sight in Ludington, transporting calcium chloride produced at the plant to ports throughout the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway system. The vessels have continued to serve the Ludington facility alongside the Prime during the 2026 shipping season.
Meanwhile, the self-unloading freighter Calumet is expected to arrive Friday morning at the Great Lakes Materials terminal on Pere Marquette Lake, operated by Rieth-Riley Construction Co. The 630-foot vessel is scheduled to deliver a cargo of aggregate for use in regional construction and road projects.
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