The Story Behind This Never-Before-Seen Ship Anchored Near Duluth On Lake Superior

People who live in the Twin Ports area are used to seeing ships anchored out on Lake Superior, either waiting to come into port or preparing to head off to their next port from either Duluth or Superior.

This particular ship (the one seen in the photo above) has been anchored off of Duluth's Park Point for a decent portion of the month of July, which might have people wondering about it.

I'll admit, I am one of those curious folks who has seen this ship out there for a number of days now, curious about it.

As it turns out, there are a few things that are pretty interesting about this ship.

What ship is that?

The ship that's been anchored out off Park Point for a sizable part of July is the Polsteam Koprowo, which is a "laker class" bulk carrier owned by the Polish Steamship Company, known as Polsteam (which is what is written across the side of the ship in large letters).

The Koprowo is described on the company's website as a 200-meter-long (656-foot-long) ship, capable of carrying a little over 22,000 tons in cargo.

What's so interesting about this ship?

This just so happens to be one of the newest ships sailing the Great Lakes this year. The Koprowo was just recently built in China, setting sail on its maiden voyage starting on April 26, 2024 of this year.

This means that the ship's arrival to Duluth earlier this month marks the first time it has ever navigated the Great Lakes and the first time it has ever been to the Twin Ports area.

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According to a Polish shipping publication, the Koprowo began its journey with a load of steel from Shanghai, China, and Pohang, Korea before crossing the Pacific Ocean and navigating the Panama Canal. The publication highlighted stops in the Canadian ports of Hamilton and then Windsor, which was the last stop before getting to Duluth, according to VesselFinder.

The Koprowo has not yet entered port now that it has reached the western end of the Great Lakes, remaining anchored off Minnesota Point since its arrival to the area in early July. When it does, that will mark the first time it will make its way into the Duluth Harbor, a neat little shipping milestone for those that follow the industry.

A shipping fan on YouTube "Vibe with Mike" made his way out to the Koprowo last week to get a 360-degree look at the ship. One of the things he notes is how worn the bottom of the ship already looks, despite the ship being brand new with an otherwise fresh-looking paint job. Mike explains this is from navigating through the tight shipping canals and locks it has passed through on its way here.

You can check out his up-close video of this new ship below.