The icebreaking season for the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) was longer this year due to a series of storms that hit the country. This winter, ice conditions in the Chesapeake and Mid-Atlantic waterways were much worse than...
The icebreaking season for the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) was longer this year due to a series of storms that hit the country.
This winter, ice conditions in the Chesapeake and Mid-Atlantic waterways were much worse than usual. Operations concluded on Thursday, with the USCG estimating that over 50 million tons of ice were broken. This winter was marked by extreme cold and severe icing conditions.
“Ice coverage in the Chesapeake Bay peaked at over 35 percent, the highest since 2014 and well above the usual average of around 10 percent,” said Lt. Cdr. Blake Bonifas, the Atlantic Area Public Affairs Officer.
The icebreaker fleet included various types of vessels such as heavy, medium, and light icebreakers, tugs, and ice-capable buoys.
Bonifas informed gCaptain that ice affected over 600 nautical miles across the Detroit River, St. Marys River, Straits of Mackinac, Hudson River, and Chesapeake Bay.
The Great Lakes experienced their highest ice coverage in seven years, reaching 58 percent on February 9, surpassing the long-term average of 52 percent.
Rapid ice accumulation was another major challenge this winter.
In just two weeks, ice coverage increased dramatically from 5 percent on January 14 to a staggering 51 percent by January 31, with Lake Erie hitting 95 percent ice coverage.
Over 30 Coast Guard cutters and boats carried out icebreaking operations for a total of 6,940 hours to assist 981 vessels. There were nine main icebreaking tugs focused on domestic duties, primarily in the Great Lakes and Northeast waterways.
The icebreaking mission for the Great Lakes District was divided into two main operations.
Operation Coal Shovel, led by Coast Guard Sector Detroit, covered southern Lake Huron, the St. Clair-Detroit River system, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario, including the St. Lawrence Seaway.
Operation Taconite, managed by Coast Guard Sector Northern Great Lakes, was the largest domestic icebreaking operation and wrapped up on Thursday. The main cargo transported on this route was taconite from mines at the Head of the Lakes to steel mills on Lakes Erie and Michigan.
A second operation, known as RENEW (Reliable Energy for Northeast Winters), was responsible for icebreaking from Maine to New Jersey. These inland waterways carry 90 percent of the Northeast's fuel oil.
The third operation focused on the Mid-Atlantic region. While icebreaking is usually not needed here, the harsh winter created significant ice on Chesapeake Bay, leading the Coast Guard’s East District to conduct targeted icebreaking efforts.
“In response to historic cold temperatures and icing conditions, the men and women of the Coast Guard stepped up,” said Vice Admiral Nate Moore, Deputy Commandant for Operations. “From the Great Lakes to the Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic, our icebreaking efforts highlight the need for a strong, modern domestic icebreaker fleet to support America’s economic prosperity, energy security, and strategic mobility.”
Recently, the Coast Guard announced an ambitious plan to update its aging icebreaker fleet. The 65-foot light icebreaking tugs were commissioned between 1961 and 1967, while medium icebreakers were commissioned between 1978 and 1988. The country’s only heavy icebreaker, the USCGC Mackinaw (WLBB-30), was launched on April 2, 2005, and entered service on June 10, 2006.