A Superior Departure for the CSL Assiniboine Heading to Quebec! September 03, 2021

An interesting "boot up" for their whistle. Their 7th visit to Superior BN-5 for this season. They arrived 9/2/2021 9:17:00 PM and headed right to the BN-5 dock to load iron ore for the next 14.5 hours of their time. Shown here departing 9/3/2021 12:54:00 PM after spending a total of 15.6 hours in Port. To Date they have spent 99 hours in port, of those hours 91.1 have been spent loading at the dock.

Info from boatnerd.com

This Great Lakes self-unloading bulk carrier was built by Davie Shipbuilding Ltd., Lauzon, QC as their hull # 684 for the Power Corp. of Canada, Montreal, QC (Canada Steamship Lines, managers). Christened the Jean Parisien, the vessel was launched July 7, 1977. The Jean Parisien was the first of two vessels launched for Canada Steamship Lines in as many days with the Louis R. Desmarais (now CSL Laurentien) being launched at Collingwood, ON on July 8, 1977. The Jean Parisien was named posthumously in honor of Mr. Jean Parisien who was the Senior Deputy Chairman of Power Corp. of Canada at the time plans were made to build this vessel. He died February 20, 1976.

The vessel is powered by twin Pielstick 10PC2-2V-400 10-cylinder, four stroke cycle, single acting 4,500 b.h.p. diesel engines built by Crossley Premier Engines Ltd., Manchester, England. These engines burn intermediate grade 60 fuel and drive a single controllable pitch propeller giving the vessel a rated service speed of 15 m.p.h. She is equipped with a controllable pitch bow thruster.

The Jean Parisien had 23 hatches servicing 5 holds where she could carry 27,890 tons (28,338 mt) at the old maximum Seaway draft of 26’ 03" (8.00m), approximately 28,250 tons (28,704 mt) at the new Seaway draft of 26’ 06" (8.08m) implemented in 2004, and was capable of carrying 33,860 tons (34,404 mt) at a mid-summer draft of 30’ 03 5/8" (9.23m). The self-unloading system consisted of hydraulically operated cargo gates feeding three conveyor belts running to a single stern-mounted loop belt elevator leading to a 258-foot (78.64m) discharge boom that can be swung 105 degrees to port or starboard and discharge iron ore at a rate of up to 5,413 tons (5,500 mt) per hour or coal at a rate of 3,937 tons (4,000 mt) per hour. Environmental controls are achieved by the use of water spraying systems, special dust hoods, boom conveyor covers, belt scrapers, and dust extractors.
The vessel sailed on her maiden voyage December 9, 1977 light to Sandusky, OH where she loaded coal for Hamilton, ON. During the winter of 1978/79, the Jean Parisien had 5-ton metal fins installed at her bow running at a 45 degree angle from the 13 (3.96m) to 26 foot (7.92m) marks designed to assist with ice breaking. This work was completed by Purvis Marine Ltd., Sault Ste. Marie, ON. The Jean Parisien has been an active participant in CSL’s program of discharging cargoes into large ocean going bulk carriers. In 1981, she teamed up with five of her fleet mates (H.M. Griffith, Tadoussac, Louis R, Desmarais, Nanticoke, and Saguenay) to load 165,000 short tons of coal from Sandusky and Conneaut, OH into the ocean bulker Yemanja for delivery to Nippon Steel in Japan. This operation marked the first coal loading off Sept Isles, QC in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
The Jean Parisien set a record for barley on September 1, 1981 by loading 1,195,770 bushels at Thunder Bay, ON for Port Cartier, QC. The Jean Parisien has had the distinction of opening the St. Lawrence Seaway upbound on March 30, 1993 with a load of iron ore for Hamilton; then opening the Seaway downbound on April 5, 1993 returning to the St. Lawrence in ballast. On July 11, 1994; the Jean Parisien met the 1,000-footer Edgar B. Speer at Nanticoke, ON where the Speer transferred her 61,039 tons (62,020 mt) of taconite pellets via her short shuttle boom into the holds of the Jean Parisien who, in turn, used her long discharge boom to unload the cargo into the receiving hopper on shore.
With the assistance of tugs Vac, Seahound, and Glenevis, the CSL Assiniboine emerged from the Port Weller Dry Docks on June 26, 2005 being moved to the fit-out dock. The "new" self-unloader was formally christened CSL Assiniboine at a private ceremony held at the Port Weller Dry Docks on June 29, 2005 with sea trials taking place on July 4, 2005. After completing her sea trials, the self-unloader departed the Port Weller Dry Docks on her maiden voyage July 5, 2005 upbound in the Welland Canal bound for the Burlington Northern docks at Superior, WI to load taconite for Hamilton, ON. The CSL Assiniboine departed Superior on July 9 with what is believed to be a Canadian fleet cargo record from Burlington Northern of 29,715 tons (30,192 mt) of taconite pellets. On March 22, 2006, the self-unloader opened the Port of Hamilton delivering a load of coal from Sandusky, OH to Stelco.
Overall Dimensions
Length 739’ 10" (225.50m)
Beam 78’ 00" (23.76m)
Depth 48’ 05" (14.75m)
Capacity (mid-summer) 36,768 tons (37,358 mt)
Power (diesel) 9,000 b.h.p.