Icebreaking in Thunder Bay harbour begins Thursday
CBC
Icebreaking in the Thunder Bay area will begin this week, with the Samuel Risley starting the "initial harbour breakout" on Thursday, the Canadian Coast Guard said.
"Breaking up the ice will allow for the safe and efficient movement of commercial vessels," it said in a media release.
Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's CoastWatch program shows that as of Sunday, under eight per cent of the Great Lakes were under ice cover.
Meanwhile, an ice thickness map by the U.S. National Ice Center showed most of the ice in the Thunder Bay harbour was estimated to be 12 to 28 inches [about 30 to 71 cm) thick as of Sunday.
Isabelle Pelchat, the Canadian Coast Guard's superintendent of icebreaking for the Great Lakes region, said the ice coverage this year has been below average.
"It's not all frozen like we used to see," Pelchat said in a recent interview with CBC News. "So it's most likely the open up of Thunder Bay would be easier this year."
However, the lack of ice on the Great Lakes doesn't change much when it comes to icebreaking operations.
"We remain available 24/7," she said. "We're continuing the monitoring and surveillance of the ice at all times.
"Our two icebreakers are on standby and available, and the crews are ready. So it's giving us more time to do some training and familiarization for the crew."
Pelchat said icebreaking on the Great Lakes normally begins just before the opening of the Soo Locks, which officially marks the start of the Great Lakes shipping season. This year, the opening is set for this Friday.
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