Since mid-December, shipping vessels across the Great Lakes have been delayed due to heavy amounts of ice. The U.S. Coast Guard told WCMU that ice breakers have helped escort six shipping vessels to their destinations since Friday. The delays come amid an increase in ice cover on the lakes.
According to Great Lakes surface environmental analysis, the total ice cover is 15% as of Tuesday. That's almost a 13% increase from this time last year.
Eric Peace is with the Lake Carriers' Association, a group that represents the interest of commercial shipping companies in the Great Lakes. He said the delay began on Dec. 15 when the ice coverage began to increase.
He said that the association is still collecting numbers, but ships have been delayed in Green Bay, the St. Mary's River, Straits of Mackinac and western Lake Erie since Dec. 15.
"There was a bit of a surprise, I think, to both the U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard," Peace said. He added that only three icebreakers were available to cover the impacted areas."
According to the American Great Lakes Port Association, there are normally 11 vessels providing ice breaking services on the Great Lakes.
Interlake Maritime Services told WCMU that their 11 shipping vessels have been impacted by the limited ice breaking resources across the Great Lakes.
Peace said some vessels have postponed cargo shipments until spring due to ice in certain ports.
The U.S. Coast Guard's one heavy icebreaker, the Mackinaw, has also seen difficulty with the weather.
"She finally got off the dock on Sunday and is working in the Straits of Mackinac now," Peace said.
Michael Merrick is a retired Great Lakes shipping captain. He said icy conditions make docking the ships difficult. Merrick said that, in the past, he was often held up by icy waters.
"I ran across the Lake Superior, which normally takes about 26 hours," he said. "It took us nine days because of the heavy ice in the lake."
Peace says that the Lake Carriers' Association is pushing to get another heavy Great Lakes icebreaker.
A bipartisan bill was introduced to strengthen the U.S. Coast Guard's icebreaking fleet on the Great Lakes, co-led by U.S. Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-Bay City). It passed as part of this year's National Defense Authorization Act.
“When the Great Lakes freeze over, we depend on icebreakers to keep shipping lanes open and our economy moving," Congresswoman McDonald Rivet said in a statement to WCMU. "What we’re seeing now is what happens when our fleet can’t meet the demands of a cold winter.
The Soo Locks are scheduled to close January 15th, marking the end of the shipping season.
