Coast Guard icebreaking operations to assist commercial shipping will continue this weekend.
The United States Coast Guard cutter Mackinaw will be clearing a safe shipping route for a cargo ship that needs to reachFisher Harbour. This icebreaking mission will begin on January 19th with the ships transiting from Cove Island northern Lake Huron up through Georgian Bay to Fisher Harbour on the northeast side of Manitoulin Island. The ships could be in the area until January 22nd.
The attached photo shows the United States Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw and a map showing Fisher Harbour and the route to be taken by the ships.
Dates, schedules and routes are subject to change with little or no notice due to weather and ice conditions and shipping needs. All ice surface users should plan their ice activities carefully, use caution on the ice and avoid the shipping lanes and icebreaking operations. Broken and fragmented ice tracks and ridging left behind by passing icebreakers or commercial vessels may not freeze over immediately. This can result in hazardous conditions for ice users. In addition, newly fallen snow will obscure ship tracks. Unsafe ice conditions can persist long after icebreakers have left the area. Great caution must be exercised in areas where ships operate.
The Canadian and United States Coast Guards work as one team on the Great Lakes serving mariners. The Canadian Coast Guard ships Griffon and Samuel Risley are actively clearing routes and maintaining ship tracks for commercial vessels. For more information about the Great Lakes icebreaking season:
