Even though the Great Lakes ice breaking season has ended, members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation are continuing to push for funding of a new heavy ice breaker on the Great Lakes to reduce shipping delays during the winter months.
During the first weeks of the season, over a dozen ships were delayed due to ice and gale force winds. Some were delayed up to 60 hours in Whitefish Bay.
Overall shipping traffic through the Soo Locks during the peak winter season this year was down nearly 50% when compared to last year.
The U.S. Coast Guard ceased all ice breaking operations on the Great Lakes on Saturday April, 16 due to the warming conditions.
The shipping industry says millions of dollars in loses are at stake for the manufacturing industry and the Coast Guard must improve its ice breaking capacity. According to the Lake Carriers' Association, some shipping companies may have held off on sending out ships due to ice in the Great Lakes.
"This was an average or slightly below average ice year and the Coast Guard didn’t have to do much icebreaking in the southern part of the Great Lakes," wrote James Weakley, President of the Lake Carriers' Associations, in an email to WCMU. "They were still unable to keep traffic moving in Lake Superior, the St. Mary's River and the Straits of Mackinac."
Coast Guard officials stationed in Sault St. Marie have told WCMU on multiple occasions this season that heavy winds are one of the main reasons for shipping delays this season and the Coast Guard deployed ice breakers on the Great Lakes since last December 2021 to make sure waterways are clear for safe passage.
"There's obviously a difference of opinion between Congress, the Coast Guard and industry about how to best tackle the challenge of maximizing transit on the Great Lakes during the winter months," said Senator Todd Young, R-Indiana, during the nomination hearing for Admiral Linda Fagan of the U.S. Coast Guard.
During the hearing, Admiral Fagan was asked if she would support the funding and design of a new ice breaker on the Great Lakes.
"I am committed to fielding the icebreaking capacity that we need as a nation particularly as it pertains to the Great Lakes," said Admiral Fagan. "Our priority is an icebreaker that is at least as capable as the current Mackinaw."
Admiral Fagan added the Coast Guard currently has a fifteen person team working on the design of a new ice breaker. If the ice breaker is approved, it would be included in the 2023 Coast Guard budget.
"This is significant progress and an acknowledgment of need by the USCG," wrote Eric Peace, Vice President of the Lake Carriers' Association, in an email to WCMU.
If confirmed, Admiral Fagan will be the first woman to lead a U.S. Armed Services Branch as Commandant of the Coast Guard.
Editor's note: WCMU originally reported Admiral Fagan's first name as Lisa. The report has been updated to her correct first name, which is Linda.
