North Star Port

SEASON UPDATE 4 | NORTH STAR PORT | SPRING 2026 PHOTO / Sco Bjorkland, Jayson Hron Despite comparatively low ice coverage across Lake Superior and the other Great Lakes in late March, commercial shipping endured another difficult start to the season, with problematic ice stacked near Duluth-Superior, Whitefish Bay and along the St. Marys River. Within 96 hours of the Poe Lock opening March 25, ice beset 19 vessels, according to Lake Carriers' Association. In response, the U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards mobilized nine icebreaking vessels for Operation Taconite, including heavy icebreaker USCGC Mackinaw and six 140-foot Bay-class tugs, joined by two Canadian vessels, Vincent Massey and Judy LaMarsh. The Canadian icebreaker Samuel Risley couldn't join the fight because of propeller shaft damage that sidelined the vessel in January. By April 3, just nine days after the Poe Lock opened, the combined icebreaking fleet had logged more than 750 hours escorting commercial traffic, freeing beset ships and cutting track through pack ice. That same day, the Lee A. Tregurtha was beset by ice just outside the Duluth Ship Canal, requiring assistance from USCGC SPAR in a scene that played out before a captivated audience along the canal walls and on the Duluth Harbor Cam website. While the ice eventually relented in late April, the challenges did not. The Poe Lock suffered an unexpected shutdown April 29 when the thousand-foot freighter American Century accidentally dropped anchor while traversing the lock chamber. That mishap forced the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to close the lock for inspection. Finding no major damage, the USACE reopened the lock about five hours later. From ice-locked freighters and compromised cutters to an errant anchor and captivated crowds, the transition from winter to spring on the upper Great Lakes was anything but uneventful. Ice and other impediments Ship Name Owners Date Time First laker out Honorable James L. Oberstar Interlake Steamship Company March 23, 2026 5:14 p.m. First laker in Clyde S. VanEnkevort (tug)/ VanEnkevort Tug & Barge, Inc. March 26, 2026 10:04 a.m. (Soo Locks) Michigan Trader (barge) First Canadian in CSL Niagara Canada Steamship Lines April 1, 2026 2:02 p.m. First saltie in Ocean7 Ranger Ocean7 Group April 8, 2026 7:32 a.m. (full Seaway transit) T H AT 'S A F I R S T

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