May 1 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Tom Dalton The Salem News, Beverly, Mass.

Ward 1 City Councilor Bob McCarthy was driving home Tuesday night when he glanced out his car window at what he thought was a building. When he looked a second time, he realized the "building" was really a ship -- a ship that hasn't been seen in these parts for nearly six months.

The CSL Spirit, a nearly 740-foot coal carrier owned by CSL (Canadian Steamship Lines) International, arrived at Salem Harbor Station Tuesday night with 51,000 tons of coal from Colombia. It is the first coal shipment to the power plant since theaccident that killed three workers.

Although blowing coal dust caused problems for neighbors in the past, this delivery apparently was without incident.

"We didn't have any problems," said Russ Vickers, who owns a business, Hawthorne Cove Marina, that is right next door. "It all depends on which way the wind is blowing."

McCarthy said he, too, had not received any complaints.

Two of the plant's three coal-burning boilers are back in service. Unit 3, which had the steam pipe accident, is not running yet. The plant's fourth and largest power generator, an oil-burning boiler, is expected to return to service in a few weeks, a company spokesman said.

Meanwhile, the Essex County district attorney's investigation into the fatal accident continues.