U.S.-flag shipping on the Great Lakes lost a total of 1,953 hours or 82 ship days due to inadequate icebreaking, about a third of the shipping season on the Great Lakes.
It took 96 hours after the Soo locks opened for the year for the first vessel loaded with iron ore to finally clear the St. Marys River the critical connection point between Lake Superior and the lower lakes. At one point, 19 vessels were stopped for multiple days in the ice, waiting for icebreakers to clear the way to either get their loads or deliver them.
The ice season dragged on well into April, stretching Coast Guard icebreaking crews and their worn-out ships. The only U.S. Coast Guard heavy icebreaker on the lakes is the CGC MACKINAW, which was limited to operating below the Soo Locks due to an engineering casualty. With only one partially operational heavy icebreaker traffic came to a standstill for most of March with significant delays experienced well into April.
On several occasions during the ice season, federal icebreakers suffered significant engineering problems which left them sidelined during the height of the need. The 140-foot Coast Guard icebreaking tugs, which are over 45-years-old, continue to breakdown on a regular basis.
Winter shipping also faced struggles, starting in early December. Warmer temperatures on the southern lakes in March melted the significant ice pack on Lake Erie and the Detroit-St Clair River systems which allowed the Coast Guard to concentrate their limited operational assets in the north.
