| Ninth District External Affairs U.S. Coast Guard |
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| Press Release |
Date: Mar. 9, 2007 Contact: Mr. Mark Gill (906) 635-3299
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ST. MARYS RIVER ICEBREAKING ACTIVITIES SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. -- The week of Mar. 12, 2007, the United States Coast Guard will start breaking ice in the St .Marys River in preparation for the 2007 shipping season. Ice breaking operations will extend from Whitefish Bay to Detour. The U.S. Coast Guard cutters involved will be the Mackinaw based out of Cheboygan, the Biscayne Bay out of St Ignace, the Mobile Bay out of Sturgeon Bay, and the Katmai Bay homeported in Sault Ste Marie. An additional cutter from Sector Detroit will join the operation closer to the March 25 lock opening. On March 12, Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw will break ice in the lower end of the West Neebish Channel from Mud Lake Junction Buoy up to the ice edge currently located below LT 29. This work will lead to the destruction of the lower ice bridge connecting Barbeau to Neebish Island. The upper ice bridge and channel above the ferry landing to Neebish Island will not be impacted by this work. Plans call for that ice to be left undisturbed until the final days leading up to the scheduled opening of the Sault Locks. U.S. Coast Guard officials will work with EUPTA officials to ensure the ferries are able to operate throughout the break out process. On March 13, Coast Guard Cutters Mackinaw and Biscayne Bay will be locked through to the upper St Marys River. CGC Biscayne Bay will continue on westward to conduct ice breaking duties in the Western Lake Superior ports of Duluth, Superior, and Thunder Bay, Ontario. CGC Mackinaw will remain to prepare tracks in Whitefish Bay and the upper St Marys River. In addition to track preparation, CGC Mackinaw will be conducting a series of operational tests to evaluate and record the performance of their shipboard systems in ice. Although not limited to a specific area, CGC Mackinaw will focus their activities to the charted Lake Carriers Association (LCA) track lines. All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) operators, snowmobiler's, and other recreational users of the ice should avoid any proximity to the shipping channels, plan their activity carefully, and use caution near the ice. Additionally, all ice fishermen should remove their ice shacks from areas close to the shipping channels. Further inquiries can be made by phone to Sault Vessel Traffic Service at (906) 635-3232 or via email at SOOTFC@USCG.MIL. ###
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