MADRID: The first ocean-going vessel to reach the Twin Ports this shipping season was treated to a special welcoming ceremony on Wednesday.
Yotov and his 19-person crew are from Bulgaria; the Kom is named after a mountain peak in that country. The Kom arrived under Duluth’s Aerial Lift Bridge on Monday and loaded grain from elevators in Superior, where dignitaries welcomed them on Wednesday.
The Kom’s journey from its previous port, in Spain, took 25 days. The crew also encountered heavy ice on eastern Lake Superior. “We crossed the North Atlantic and we came at the beginning of the opening of the Seaway,” Yotov said. “It was a hard journey because we encountered some bad weather. But finally without any delays and without any damages we arrived here in good condition and good health, and that is most important.” The Kom was departed for Italy Wednesday with 12,100 tons of durum wheat.
