Commander, Coast Guard Sector Sault Sainte Marie concluded its domestic ice breaking operation, also known as Operation TACONITE. With the ice throughout the Western Great Lakes nearly melted, icebreaking in support of commercial navigation is no longer required.
During the 109 days of the 2019 domestic icebreaking season (07 Jan – 26 Apr), the eight U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard vessels assigned to Operation TACONITE delivered 1,803 hours of icebreaking to the benefit of 590 vessel transits; 155 of these transits required direct ice breaking assistance.
This work also served the needs of eight island communities and fulfilled 605 individual icebreaking service requests.
These same icebreaking vessels put forth an additional 2,378 hours of preventative icebreaking to establish and maintain tracks in the ice choked waterways of Green Bay, the Straits of Mackinac, the St Marys River, Georgian Bay and western Lake Superior.
Industry officials estimate more than 11 million tons of dry bulk and liquid cargoes shipped during the 109 days of this operational period. This translates to $414 million dollars of commodities critical to power generation, industrial productivity and public safety, moved during the harsh winter months of the 2019 domestic icebreaking season.
