Arriving March 28 at 3:30 p.m. under Duluth’s Aerial Lift Bridge, the Federal Dart from Fednav Limited became the earliest-arriving oceangoing vessel on record in the Port of Duluth-Superior. The previous record belonged to another Fednav vessel, Federal Hunter, which arrived March 30, 2013.
Carrying approximately 23,000 short tons of Turkish cement, Federal Dart made the trans-Atlantic journey to North America’s furthest-inland seaport in 25 days, ultimately docking at Duluth’s CRH/Ash Grove Cement Terminal.
“The Atlantic was quite good. It was not that rough, which it normally is in winters, so we had a smooth passage all the way,” said Captain Anuvarat Arora of India, ship master of the Marshall Islands-flagged Federal Dart.
The Duluth Seaway Port Authority feted Arora and his crew in a March 30 welcoming ceremony, which also included the announcement of the port’s 40th anniversary First Ship contest winner, Patricia Miranda. Her arrival guess – one of 9,273 submitted during the 2023 contest – was a mere two minutes off the vessel’s actual arrival date and time. Miranda’s winning guess earned her an epic prize package from Visit Duluth.