The Great Lakes Research Center is unaffected
The Great Lakes shipping season began on Mar. 25 without smooth sailing. Due to thick ice in Whitefish Bay near the Soo Locks, as many as 20 vessels were caught up in a freighter traffic jam. This issue has been pressed for a longer period of time due to the lack of ice breaker support during the opening of the shipping season.
One of the main reasons for the lack of ice breaker support was because the only heavy American icebreaker, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Cutter Mackinaw, was unable to reach Whitefish Bay due to problems with its thrusters. Since the ice near the Soo Locks was thicker than average, many of the smaller ice breakers were unable to clear paths for the freighters waiting to traverse the St. Marys River. With cooler than average temperatures for the season, ice is continuing to refreeze at night continuing the need for icebreakers. With Great Lakes shipping making up a total of 36 billion dollars for the economy and over 241,000 jobs each year it is no surprise that halted traffic is causing a stir.
The opening date of the shipping season has been fixed to Mar. 25, since 2009 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Over time ice cover over the Great Lakes has generally been decreasing every year. With the decrease in ice cover the opening date of shipping is often petitioned to be set earlier by the Lake Carriers’ Association, who represents all of the U.S. flagged Great Lakes vessels. The opening date has not been pushed forward because during the winter months the Soo Locks undergo around ten weeks of critical annual maintenance leaving very little room to open the season earlier. The USCG also uses this time to maintain their vessels such as the ice cutters that are critical in opening up the shipping channels.
While thick ice impedes freighter traffic on the Great Lakes it does not pose much of an issue to the Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC). After speaking with Travis White, a research engineer and a USCG Licensed Master 100 Ton Captain, he said that “Most of what we do at the GLRC is science. Commercial shipping is always operating on a totally different frequency, cadence, and scale in terms of the vessels.” White also noted that much of the lower Great Lakes are already ice free and that research scientists, such as Hayden Henderson, will soon begin deploying buoys in Lake Michigan.
As time continues to pass the weather will get warmer and ice will no longer hinder Great Lakes shipping, but for the first two weeks of the season, there was major strain on freighters trying to pass through the Soo Locks. By now the majority of the ice jams have been cleared and shipping has begun to flow like normal thanks to continued ice breaker support and warming weather.
For more information about Great Lakes research you can reach out to the GLRC at GLRCinfo@mtu.edu. Also, to see a live feed of ship traffic on the Great Lakes, you can visit marinetraffic.com.
