On Tuesday, Dec. 23, at approximately 8:50 p.m. CST, the Malta-flagged Miedwie set sail from Duluth, Minnesota, as the Port of Duluth-Superior said goodbye to the final oceangoing ship, or "saltie," of the 2025 navigation season.

Miedwie is a bulk carrier built in 2010, measuring approximately 190 meters (623 feet) in length overall (LOA) and about 24 meters (79 feet) in beam (width).

The ship was loaded at Ceres/Riverland Ag terminal with durum wheat and is heading to Algeria.

"Miedwie will be the last in a convoy of six oceangoing vessels departing Duluth with grain since Dec. 13, bringing the Port of Duluth-Superior's oceangoing navigation season to a close," said Jayson Hron, director of communication and marketing for the Duluth Seaway Port Authority, in an email to DTN. "The Montreal-Lake Ontario Section of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System closes for the winter on Jan. 5, 2026, so Miedwie must exit the system by then."

"Miedwie (pronounced MEE-ED-VEE-YUH) is part of the Polsteam fleet (Polish Steamship Company) and is named after Miedwie Lake in Poland. The vessel was one of nine salties to visit the Port of Duluth-Superior in December 2025, which was the single-month high for oceangoing arrivals during the 2025 navigation season," added Hron.

Lakers will continue to transit to and from the Port of Duluth-Superior, moving within the Great Lakes. This will continue until the Soo Locks' seasonal closure, which is scheduled for Jan. 15, 2026.

Given that ice coverage on the Great Lakes as of Dec. 25 is only 4% overall, transit for Miedwie and lakers should be good for now. However, icebreakers will be handling any trouble spots should they appear. Lake Superior is 2% covered in ice, Lake Michigan 3%, Lake Huron 7%, Lake Erie 10% and Lake Ontario 2%.

In a notice to all shippers on Oct. 17, 2025, the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway noted that the Montreal-Lake Ontario Section would close Jan. 5, 2025, and "all ships must be clear of the MLO Section by 12:00 on that day." Here is the notice, which also includes other closure dates on the Seaway: https://greatlakes-seaway.com/….

Follow Miedwie as it leaves Duluth on Dec. 23 with its load of durum wheat heading for the Atlantic Ocean, covering 2,038 nautical miles and about 8.5 sailing days to get there: https://www.youtube.com/….

Mary Kennedy can be reached at mary.kennedy@dtn.com

Follow her on social platform X @MaryCKenn

(c) Copyright 2025 DTN, LLC. All rights reserved.