U.S. Coast Guard Working to Clear Path Through Ice

Strong winds and thick ice are creating a headache for crews trying to get freighters through Eastern Lake Superior.

Thirteen freighters are backed-up in Whitefish Bay because Eastern Lake Superior is filled with ice.

“It formed over a weekend, if you image lake superior last week roughly 7% ice covered West winds and warmer air collapsed all that ice and packed it in Whitefish Bay,” said Mark Gill, Director of Vessel Traffic Services.

This the scene at Whitefish Bay today.

These freighters can’t get through Eastern Lake Superior.

“We have 10 upbound and 5 down bound vessels waiting to transition through a 30 sq mile field of ice – its pretty substantial. This is a solid field of ice described as big as pick up trucks.”

The U.S. Coast Guard has cutters out there today, trying to clear a path.

But with some of the ice 8 feet thick, it’s a slow process.

“We are trying to draw a line through the middle of that ice so we can pass 2 down bounders and 4 up bounders through, hopefully tomorrow or Thursday morning have entire pattern clear.”

And while to Soo Locks are clear of ice now, this will cause trouble for them, too.

“At this point up bound are waiting with no places to go and down bound ships are waiting for traffic to clear. Another convoy will come through then we will have several vessels all at once maybe 10 all at the same time,” said Kevin Sprague, Area Engineer U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.