GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The shipping season at the Port of Green Bay has officially begun.
Port officials say the Samuel de Champlain arrived just after 7 Friday morning. The ship was carrying cement.
Ice-breaking efforts in recent days opened up waters for the Samuel de Champlain.
“The start of the 2019 season is nine days later than the 2018 season start date,” Dean Haen, port director, said in a news release.
“But the 2018 shipping season also ended six days later than the 2017 shipping season did, so we still had an average length of time between seasons — just over two months. Despite the warm-up over the past few weeks, this was still a brutal winter and ice cover on Lake Michigan was extensive. With only one shared ice breaker for the entire lake, we were able to bring in the first shipment once it was available for icebreaking in the bay of Green Bay.”
The start of the 2019 season follows a 2018 season which saw 1.88 million tons of goods move through the port.
The Samuel de Champlain’s arrival also means two winners in the First Ship Contest from the port and the Greater Green Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Shaun Forslund of Menasha and Sandy Budzis of Green Bay both guessed an arrival date and time of 6 a.m. April 5. They each win a free kayak tour with Door County Kayak Tours, a $120 gift certificate to the Landmark Resort in Door County, a 200th anniversary Brown County Monopoly game and two Port of Green Bay coffee mugs.
The public can see ships from the Fox River Trail, the Green Bay Metropolitan Boat Launch or a webcam on the port’s website.
