Coast Guard icebreakers to transit Keweenaw Waterway

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – Two U.S. Coast Guard icebreakers are scheduled to transit the Keweenaw Waterway, near Houghton and Hancock, Mich., in the next 24-48 hours in order to conduct ice breaking operations in western Lake Superior.

Those who recreate on the ice are reminded to plan their activities carefully, use caution, and stay clear of the shipping channels during these days.

The Coast Guard Cutter Katmai Bay is scheduled to transit first, followed by the Coast Guard Cutter Biscayne Bay.

The commercial shipping industry has requested icebreaking assistance for the harbors of Duluth, Minn., Superior, Wis., and Thunder Bay, Ontario. The winter storms forecast for Lake Superior make an open-water transit unsafe. To minimize the impact these transits have on the region’s developing ice, the two cutters will proceed at minimum safe speed.