Mark W. Barker - The Baby Barker Takes Her First Ever Load From Superior

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Here is something we haven't seen before! This is the Mark W. Barker departing Superior, Wisconsin before sunrise on January 7, 2025. She had loaded 22,674 tons of taconite pellets at the Burlington Northern dock for delivery to Toledo, Ohio.

Despite entering service in 2022, this was the first load that the Barker had ever taken on at a dock in Superior. The Barker is already a fairly uncommon visitor to the Twin Ports... as this was her only visit of the entire shipping season... but most of her previous visits have involved delivering salt or steel components, then often loading in Duluth before departing. It was nice to finally catch her loading (and departing from) Superior for a change.

There was no salute for this departure, but as is often the case I was the only one present to wave them off. Had there been a larger crowd on hand, I suspect they would have saluted. Still, it was nice to catch the Barker's only visit to the Twin Ports for the season... and even nicer to see her load somewhere new for a change. Hopefully we see the "Baby Barker" again for the 2026-2027 season!

The 639-foot Mark W. Barker was constructed in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin and launched in the Spring of 2022, making her the first newly-built American lake freighter since 1983. She made her first sea trials under her own power on July 1, 2022. She is the first "River Class" freighter, meaning she is designed to navigate rivers such as the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland. She is powered by two 4,000 horsepower, 16-cylinder EMD diesel engines which drive a single 18-foot, four-blade, controllable-pitch propeller. She has 1,000-hp Kongsberg bow and stern thrusters, which help her navigate tight waterways without the need for tugboat assistance. Her hull has been optimized for efficiency and all systems have been designed to ensure low energy consumption. A Kongsberg high-lift rudder optimizes the wake through the propeller. Her cargo hold has capacity for 26,000 tons and she has a front-mounted self-unloading boom. She has five hydraulically controlled stackable MacGregor hatches, which are more commonly seen on ocean-going ships. The Mark W. Barker is named after the current president of Interlake Steamship Company. He is also the son of James and Kaye Barker, who also have vessels named after them.