Coast Guard busy clearing ice on Great Lakes

by Angie Asam–Staff Writer

The United States Coast Guard has been very busy this winter in Michigan taking care of ice on the Great Lakes. Mark Gill, director of vessel traffic services for the Coast Guard in Sault Ste. Marie said that this is the most ice this early in the season that the Coast Guard has seen in 25 years. He also said it is the second most ice in the past 35 years.

With more ice than normal, the Coast Guard has been very busy working to keep boats moving so far this winter. Many boats have now gone to lay up for the winter with the closing of the Soo Locks last week. However, the work of the Coast Guard is not finished.

Ice impacted the shipping season this winter as well. “The impact to shipping is such that what normally is a three or four-day round-trip, pick up of cargo, discharge of cargo and return for new cargo, has turned into a seven, eight or nine day transit depending on where a ship is going. So if they are making $1 million a trip, what used to be three trips in 10 days for $3 million is now one trip in nine days and probably losing money to fuel and personnel expenses,” said Gill.