Market Matters Blog           12/26 09:45

   Duluth-Superior Ocean Navigation Season Ends With Departure of Last Saltie

   The last saltie departed Duluth on Tuesday, Dec. 23, to close out the 2025 
oceangoing shipping season.

Mary Kennedy
DTN Basis Analyst

   On Tuesday, Dec. 23, at approximately 8:50 p.m. CST, the Malta-flagged 
Miedwie set sail from Duluth, Minnesota, as the Port of Duluth-Superior said 
goodbye to the final oceangoing ship, or "saltie," of the 2025 navigation 
season.

   Miedwie is a bulk carrier built in 2010, measuring approximately 190 meters 
(623 feet) in length overall (LOA) and about 24 meters (79 feet) in beam 
(width).

   The ship was loaded at Ceres/Riverland Ag terminal with durum wheat and is 
heading to Algeria.

   "Miedwie will be the last in a convoy of six oceangoing vessels departing 
Duluth with grain since Dec. 13, bringing the Port of Duluth-Superior's 
oceangoing navigation season to a close," said Jayson Hron, director of 
communication and marketing for the Duluth Seaway Port Authority, in an email 
to DTN. "The Montreal-Lake Ontario Section of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence 
Seaway System closes for the winter on Jan. 5, 2026, so Miedwie must exit the 
system by then."

   "Miedwie (pronounced MEE-ED-VEE-YUH) is part of the Polsteam fleet (Polish 
Steamship Company) and is named after Miedwie Lake in Poland. The vessel was 
one of nine salties to visit the Port of Duluth-Superior in December 2025, 
which was the single-month high for oceangoing arrivals during the 2025 
navigation season," added Hron.

   Lakers will continue to transit to and from the Port of Duluth-Superior, 
moving within the Great Lakes. This will continue until the Soo Locks' seasonal 
closure, which is scheduled for Jan. 15, 2026.

   Given that ice coverage on the Great Lakes as of Dec. 25 is only 4% overall, 
transit for Miedwie and lakers should be good for now. However, icebreakers 
will be handling any trouble spots should they appear. Lake Superior is 2% 
covered in ice, Lake Michigan 3%, Lake Huron 7%, Lake Erie 10% and Lake Ontario 
2%.

   In a notice to all shippers on Oct. 17, 2025, the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence 
Seaway noted that the Montreal-Lake Ontario Section would close Jan. 5, 2025, 
and "all ships must be clear of the MLO Section by 12:00 on that day." Here is 
the notice, which also includes other closure dates on the Seaway: 
https://greatlakes-seaway.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/notice20251017_en.pdf.

   Follow Miedwie as it leaves Duluth on Dec. 23 with its load of durum wheat 
heading for the Atlantic Ocean, covering 2,038 nautical miles and about 8.5 
sailing days to get there: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHTzVoNC6Zs.

   Mary Kennedy can be reached at mary.kennedy@dtn.com

   Follow her on social platform X @MaryCKenn




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