The early 2008 shipping season so far, in a nutshell
March 24, 08 by TheFleetIf you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
BOB VANDEVUSSE | Source: Holland Sentinel
Ice-breaking operations on the Great Lakes have been under way for about two weeks. U.S. Coast Guard vessels Mackinaw and Biscayne Bay started by working in the St. Mary’s River below the Soo to get things going. With winter maintenance completed, the Poe Lock was filled Thursday and the pair locked up the following day. The Mackinaw broke tracks across Whitefish Bay and is keeping them open while the Biscayne Bay proceeded to Duluth to assist the cutter Alder, which was already working to open the port of Duluth-Superior. Ice in the port is reported to be between 20 and 36 inches thick. It then returned to the Soo for work in the St. Mary’s River and is working its way back to its home base in St. Ignace.
Cutter Katmai Bay will groom tracks around the Soo Locks, and the Hollyhock, up from Port Huron, will assist the Biscayne Bay in opening the Straits of Mackinac after receiving propeller repairs at Cheboygan. When it is finished with ice operations, it will head to Chicago to begin switching out winter markers and replacing them with lighted buoys. Cutter Mobile Bay has been working in Green Bay. With a more normal winter after several mild ones, the Coast Guard is finding it resources stretched, so another Bay-Class cutter, the Penobscott Bay, based in New Jersey, has been sent up to assist with operations on the St. Lawrence River and Lakes Ontario and Erie.
Up in Duluth, the Mesabi Miner made a number of coal deliveries to Lake Superior ports this past week. On Thursday, the Welland Canal opened, with the captain of the Canadian Progress as the recipient of the honorary top hat. Friday, the Montreal to Lake Ontario section of the St. Lawrence Seaway opened as well, with the Canadian Miner being the first upbound vessel. When the Soo Locks open for commercial vessels Tuesday, the new season will be fully under way.
