Great Lakes shipping lost third of commercial season after ‘inadequate icebreaking’

Story Summary

• The Lake Carriers’ Association reported that a third of the shipping season was lost because of delays caused by heavy ice
• The U.S. Coast Guard’s only heavy icebreaker, the Mackinaw, was unable to assist vessels stuck above the Soo Locks during the ice season
• Despite years of advocacy from Great Lakes shipping, funding for improved icebreaking has yet to be approved by federal lawmakers

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was originally published by Bridge Michigan, a nonprofit and nonpartisan news organization. To get regular coverage from Bridge Michigan, sign up for a free Bridge Michigan newsletter here.

By Blace Carpenter
Bridge Michigan

The Lake Carriers’ Association said in a report last week that U.S.-flagged shipping on the Great Lakes lost 82 ship days — a third of its 2026 season — because of “inadequate icebreaking” operations from the U.S. Coast Guard.  

“We only get nine months of shipping,” Eric Peace, the vice president of the association, said. “It's a loss of a significant amount of time.” 

Data from the U.S. Coast Guard shows it assisted more than 400 vessels during the shipping season and spent around 3,000 hours breaking ice in the Great Lakes region.

“During the 135-day operational period, Dec. 9 to April 23, the Coast Guard successfully facilitated the safe and efficient movement of vital commercial vessel traffic,” wrote U.S. Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Brandon Giles in a statement.

“Despite heavy winter conditions, our crews secured the regional maritime supply chain and ensured constant search and rescue readiness, achieving a record of zero casualties across all assisted transits.”  

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Data from the Lake Carriers’ Association shows that around 160 million tons of cargo move on the Great Lakes in commercial ships every year, between 80 million and 90 million tons of that on U.S.-flagged ships.

Although it is unclear how much economic impact the delays had, Peace said it can have ripple effects on the nation’s supply chain. 

“Steel builds countries,” he said. “If we cannot actually have an efficient system here on the Great Lakes to ship that iron ore down from Lake Superior to the steel mills in the lower lakes, then we're impacting the entire national economy and endangering our national economic security.” 

Nearly 100% of America's domestic iron ore passes through the Soo Locks with a value of $5 billion, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

In a statement, Peace said it took 96 hours for the first vessel carrying iron ore to cross the parallel locks and that 19 ships were stuck in ice for days before icebreakers assisted. 

The association has long advocated for a new icebreaker to assist the over-40-year-old icebreaking tugs and the 21-year-old USCGC Mackinaw that the US Coast Guard utilizes. This winter, federal vessels “suffered significant engineering problems, which left them sidelined during the height of the need,” according to the association’s report. 

Funding for heavy icebreakers was included in early versions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act Congress passed last year, but was cut from the final version. 

U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, said he fought to secure $25 million for the Coast Guard in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s 2026 budget.

“Great Lakes shipping isn’t only important to the Midwest, it’s critical to the entire United States economy,” Peters said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the current lack of adequate icebreaking capabilities is contributing to these unnecessary delays to the Great Lakes shipping season. In turn, it’s disrupting key industries and the timely delivery of essential commodities that support Michigan businesses and jobs.” 

According to Peace, around $80 million has been appropriated to the Coast Guard’s budget for preliminary work toward a new Great Lakes heavy icebreaker, but more needs to be accomplished before such a vessel gets in the water. 

The Coast Guard estimates a new icebreaker could cost as much as $350 million.

“We've been able to get nickels and dimes, but we need $100 bills in order to get this thing procured,” he said. 

U.S. representatives in the Great Lakes region introduced a bill to help fund a new icebreaker, but it has remained in the House’s Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation since last July.

“They had an icebreaker under consideration last year, and Congress said, ‘We'll use the money somewhere else,’” said Kevin McCormack, associate professor of operations and supply chain management at Northwood University. “They didn't spend a dime, and now it costs a dollar.”

Peace said he hopes lawmakers will recognize transportation issues on the Great Lakes.

“This happens every year here on the Great Lakes, and for some reason, we just can't seem to get the Coast Guard to ask for the money to build a new icebreaker that we need.”

— This article first appeared on Bridge Michigan and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.