Market Matters Blog

Lock and Dam 2 Welcomes First Barge

Mary Kennedy
By  Mary Kennedy , DTN Basis Analyst
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The motor vessel New Dawn is shown as it moved through Lock and Dam 2, near Hastings, Minnesota, after breaking through Lake Pepin ice on March 25. (Photo courtesy USACE St. Paul District)

OMAHA (DTN) -- Spring shipping season is near. The Upper Mississippi River opened after a vessel moved barges through Lock and Dam 2 as the lead-off act. But three of the Great Lakes remain more than 50% ice covered.

On the first day of spring 2015, 12 to 13 miles of Lake Pepin were covered in ice with the thickest spot 19 inches. Lake Pepin is located 60 miles downriver from St. Paul, Minnesota.

According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Lake Pepin is the largest lake on the Mississippi River. It is basically the only "highway" to get to the St. Paul Mississippi River District, which is home to many grain terminals that ship barges of corn, soybeans and feed grains downriver.

On March 24, the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) St. Paul District said, "The ice on Lake Pepin is thinning and the amount of coverage has decreased to just five miles. The thickest ice was measured at 12 inches at mile 772. Mother Nature's getting closer to freeing up the river for commercial tows and rec boaters."

Tows will typically move barges through ice no thicker than 10 to 12 inches so they don't risk damage to their vessels.

At the crack of dawn on March 25, the appropriately named motor vessel New Dawn moved through Lock and Dam 2, near Hastings, Minnesota. "She was pushing nine loaded fertilizer barges en route to St. Paul, Minnesota," said the USACE.

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Once the barges unload, they will likely move up to St. Paul and load grain to move south. The first tow to arrive at Lock and Dam 2 becomes the unofficial "opening act" of the spring navigation season. That means all the Mississippi River locks are accessible to commercial and recreational vessels. The earliest date for an up-bound tow to reach Lock and Dam 2 since 2000 was on March 4 and the latest arrival since 1970 came last year on April 16.

GREAT LAKES PARTIALLY OPEN FOR BUSINESS

While the ice on the Great Lakes is nowhere as severe as it was this time last year, over 50% ice remains on three of the lakes. As of March 29, Lake Superior was 71.4% ice covered vs. 90.9% one year ago; Lake Erie was 69.7% covered vs. 74.3% last year; and Lake Huron was 56% covered vs. 85.1% one year ago. Lake Michigan was 23% ice covered vs. 42.5% and Lake Ontario was the only one currently above last year's figure at 21% vs. 12% one year ago. Here is a link to the most current ice coverage on the Great Lakes: http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/…

The official start to the Great Lakes commercial season began on March 23 on Lake Superior when the John G. Munson loaded iron ore pellets and headed out of the Twin Ports after a winter layup one week later than the usual first departure. At the head of Lake Superior however, Thunder Bay, Ontario, shipping has yet to start and the April 2 scheduled date may now be pushed back to April 5, depending on ice conditions.

At 12:01 a.m., Wednesday March 25, the USACE officially opened the Soo Locks. The locks at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, are among 16 locks that form the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway navigation system, which extends from Duluth, Minnesota, to the Atlantic Ocean via the St. Lawrence Seaway, according to the USACE. However, as ships moved through the locks, the ice conditions became too difficult for them to continue. On March 29, the Great Lakes Shipping News reported, the "Edwin H. Gott and Roger Blough continue to struggle with ice west of Whitefish Point. USCG Mackinaw and Alder have returned to Sault Ste. Marie, possibly for fuel or repairs. Algoma Olympic remains tied on the lower Poe Lock pier until permission is given for her to enter the ice fields above the locks."

Tim Heney, CEO of the Thunder Bay Port Authority told the Great Lakes Shipping News, "While the ice isn't as bad as last year, it is still challenging. As the largest grain export port on the Lakes, the Soo Locks are essential to Thunder Bay since 100% of their trade moves through the locks down to the Welland Canal and out through the Seaway. The majority of our grain leaves the Port on Lakers for transloading onto ocean vessels in Quebec destined for customers in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. We also load ocean vessels for direct export."

In the meantime, the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway has been delayed to April 2 due to heavy ice in sections of the passage. The St. Lawrence Seaway is the waterway from Montreal to mid-Lake Erie and normally opens around March 25. The Great Lakes Shipping News reported that St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. said it made the decision to delay the opening after considering "conditions affecting safe navigation and effective system transit."

Once the Seaway opens, ocean-going vessels or saltwater vessels (salties) make their way to Great Lakes destinations. Officials expect ships will still have a slow trip depending on ice conditions. Ship owners have said some vessels will need an ice breaker as an escort, especially on Lake Erie and Lake Superior. Many of the ice breakers that helped the Great Lakes last year may be unavailable for help because of the harsh ice conditions on the East Coast.

The first saltie to open the grain shipping season is not expected in the Twin Ports of Duluth/Superior until mid-April. Adele Yorde, PR manager for the Duluth Seaway Port Authority told DTN in an email, "Considering the ice and the late opening of the (St. Lawrence) Seaway this year not sure we'll see one arriving at this end of the system until at least April 10-12."

Mary Kennedy can be reached at mary.kennedy@dtn.com

Follow Mary on Twitter @MaryCKenn

(CZ/BAS)

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