Breaking up is tough

Spring ice breaking on the Great Lakes that is.

The Canadian Coast Guard Service (CCGS) may not send the Radisson up the creek (St. Lawrence). Last year it was an add-on. Other than saving costs, According to the CCGS, the ice conditions in the St. Lawrence are worse below Quebec.  If you followed the weather the eastern seaboard suffered a very bad winter with record amounts of snow. The Magdelens and Newfoundland are still islands in the ice. The Straits of Belle Isle accumulates pressure ice ridges.

... Up until a week ago most of the cargo traffic moved through north passage around Anticosti Island not around the Gaspé. Then they move through the thin ice and passed very close by Port Aux Basque. This is to avoid the ice ridges in the southern 2/3 of the Gulf. Terry Fox was dispatched to assist the ferry transiting the Straits of Belle Isle from NL to Labrador/N.Shr,PQ. According to several sources in addition the ferry was blocked for at least a week, and the assigned CCGS breaker at that station was too light.

... There is the spring seal hunt. And the mouth of every tributary has to be cleared of ice to reduce spring flooding. The ice clearing responsibility of ice clearing goes from the Cabot/Belle Isle Straits to Port Colborne.

... Every winter at least one ice breaker spends the winter undergoing major repairs, preventive maintenance, and equipment upgrades. Last year It was Louis St. Laurent in dry dock maintenance as well as CCGH Mamilosa underwent major overhaul. After the Gulf, St.Lawrence below Montreal is cleared and nav aids are set. The Coast Guard vessels undergo a lesser overhaul and re-supply in preparation to enter the Arctic via the entire east coast of Labrador.

... After that they are sent into the Canadian Arctic to conduct ice breaking to allow the cargo vessels reach Arctic communities. And since May to October is the most active time for the fleet conducting SAR, Sovereignty, remote sensor maintenance, assisting exploration companies, and research projects throughout the Arctic. The Franklin Search project was assisted by the Louis St. Laurent for instance.

... And here is the kicker, with the exception of Nanticoke, Canadians can reroute their material via the railways to Montreal/Sorel. Basically, Canadian business can sustain a prolonged winter economically since the river Ports of Montreal, Sorel, Trois Riviere, Quebec and Halifax.

... Seeing that the Canadian economy is about 1/10th the size of the American, it isn't that dependent on moving material by ship. Not too many people Canadian or American are aware of that. Clearing the bulk cargo back log out of the ports Duluth and Marquette took longer than clearing the winter inventory out of the Thunder Bay granaries.

... Last year CCGS Martha L.Black and CCGH Sipu Muin began clearing the Seaway at, and above just about this time last March. The Sipu Muin is a hovercraft which keeps the ice moving along the Lachine rapids up to the Beauharnois Locks and mouth of the Ottawa (flood prevention) you were wondering. The icebreakers should be starting on that project sometime this week.

... I remember reading a blurb on the Boat Nerd site that the US Corpse of Engineering and USCGS seemed optimistic. It isn't the ice coverage its because the ice isn't as thick as last year, and the region didn't see a warming trend until the last week of March. The ice is melting at a better rate than last year.

... The burning question is that, with the CCGS Des Groseilliers at the maintenance facility will the Radisson be sent again up to at least as far as Buffalo Harbor.? I was under the impression that last year the CCGS sent only one extra icebreaker which was the sister ship Radisson which looked really cool cruising up the St. Lawrence like this was not a problem.

... And my last question? Why do I find this stuff fascinating?