Shown is the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Bristol Bay on a previous mission. It is reportedly now bound for Sault Ste. Marie, where freighters waiting to cross through the locks are stuck in ice. (Photo courtesy of USCG)

ESCANABA — After opening for the season at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, the Soo Locks experienced a major delay in shipping traffic after vessels waiting to pass through the locks became frozen in ice.

Ordinarily, the United States Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw is the prime icebreaker for the area. But when the locks opened on schedule on March 25, the Mackinaw was out of service.

“Coast Guard Sector Northern Great Lakes’ Operation Taconite experienced delays during ice-breaking operations assisting commercial traffic through the St. Marys River March 26-29, 2026,” the Coast Guard announced Sunday. “Ice present in the navigable channel combined with colder-than-average temperatures and above-average snowfall hindered operations in the area, as the channel continues to refreeze after track maintenance is conducted.”

Operation Taconite is the name used for winter icebreaking missions in the USCG’s Sector Northern Great Lakes (formerly cllased Sector Sault Ste. Marie until 2023), while Operation Coal Shovel is the term used in Sector Detroit. Operation Taconite is the largest domestic icebreaking operation in the U.S.

“Critical waterways in Operation Taconite’s area of responsibility include the Straits of Mackinac, Whitefish Bay, and the St. Mary’s River. Extreme weather conditions (cold, snow, and fog), narrow channels, relatively shallow waters, the Locks, and the large number of vessels transiting the St. Marys River make it a particularly challenging icebreaking environment,” states the Coast Guard on its website.

The Sunday press release announced that another icebreaker would be bound for the Sault Monday:

“Coast Guard Cutter Bristol Bay (WTGB 102) is scheduled to depart March 30 to support efforts on the St. Marys River, but delays are expected to continue until conditions improve,” wrote the USCG.

The Bristol Bay is based out of a home port in Detroit. At 7 p.m. Monday, it was just leaving Detroit.