Canadian National Railway Puts Great Lakes Fleet Up For Sale

Canadian National Railway is selling their Great Lakes Fleet of lake freighters which includes nine ore boats, with three of them being 1,000-footers.

According to DNT, this move comes as the freight rail company reviews its non-rail business. The base of the operations for the fleet is located in offices at the CN ore docks in Duluth (near 34th Avenue West).

What exactly is a lake freighter? They are bulk carrier ships that carry materials such as limestone, iron ore, grain, coal, and salt from the mines and fields of the upper Great Lakes to the populous industrial areas farther east.

The 9 self-loading carries that are apart of The Great Lake Fleet up for sale are:

• Edgar B. Speer (1,004 ft.)
• Edwin H. Gott (1,004 ft.)
• Presque Isle (1,000 ft.)
• Rodger Blough (858 ft.)
• John G. Munson (768 ft.)
• Arthur M. Anderson (767 ft.)
• Cason J. Callaway (767 ft.)
• Phillip R. Clarke (767 ft.)
• Great Republic (634 ft.)

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According to their brochure:

With 20 million tons of annual carrying capacity, and reliable vessels able to deliver 15,000 to 75,000 tons in all seasons, our professional staff and crews can customize service to your specific needs

In case you didn't know, the Arthur M. Anderson was the last vessel to communicate with the Edmund Fitzgerald before its infamous sinking back in 1975. The Rodger Blough was badly damaged by a fire in February 2021 when it made a stop in Sturgeon Bay, Wi. You can watch a short video of it below:

According to the article, Duluth Seaway Port Authority Executive Director Deb DeLuca said the agency was following the situation with interest. DeLuca went on to say "It’s an important part of the past, present, and hopefully the future of our region’s maritime industry." Check out a video of the Edgar B. Speer entering Duluth's Harbor below: