Icebreaking begins Wednesday to prepare for Soo Locks opening

NEWS RELEASE
U.S. COAST GUARD
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SAULT STE. MARIE, MICH. - U.S. and Canadian icebreaking vessels will begin the break out of the upper St. Marys River and Whitefish Bay on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, Canadian Coast Guard Ship Samuel Risley, Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw, and Coast Guard Cutter Morro Bay will pass through the Poe Lock. The three icebreakers will depart the Coast Guard base in the morning, stop to disembark passengers at the South West Pier, and then proceed to the western ice edge. Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw will begin laying down tracks along charted shipping routes. The other two vessels will travel west to conduct ice breaking in Thunder Bay, Ont. and Marquette, Mich. All of this work is done in preparation for the March 25 opening of the Soo (Poe) Lock; the official start of the 2018 commercial navigation season.

All snowmobile, all terrain vehicle (ATV) operators, ice fishermen, and other recreational users of the ice should recognize the instability of the ice, plan their activities carefully, and use caution near the ice, especially in proximity to charted navigation areas.

Credentialed media interested in riding a breaker should contact Lt. J.G. Sean Murphy at (906)-635-3223 or via email at [email protected]. All other inquiries can be made by phone to Sault Vessel Traffic Service at (906) 635-3232 or via email at [email protected].

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