Shipping season begins without Port of Calcite as a stop
by Peter Jakey, Managing Editor
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, announced the Soo Locks opened Friday, March 25, marking the beginning of the Great Lakes shipping season. The upbound Paul R. Tregurtha a 1,013-foot freighter, was the first ship to enter the Poe Lock at 12:01 a.m. It cleared at 2:50 a.m. after the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Mackinaw helped clear away foot-and-a-half-thick ice that had been blown toward the lock by a strong northwest wind, said chief lockmaster Gary Clow.
Six other vessels had cleared the Poe as of 9:50 a.m.; however, none were headed to the Port of Calcite since old man winter is still not ready to give up his icy grip on the slip. As of Monday, the ice was packed in for as far as the eye could see. ACCORDING TO Joe Chevreaux Jr., Carmeuse Lime & Stone site operations manager, ?they couldn?t get in here if they wanted to.? At this time last year, the Carmeuse crew already had been loading stone for a couple of weeks.
?We are two to three weeks behind,? said Chevreaux. ?What we really want is for the ice to get broke up, we may have to do that physically with a cutter or a tug, and then have a west wind show up, that blows all the ice away from the shore.? As of Monday, there were no boats on the schedule this week, or next. ?There are people ca
Warmer weather is another necessity. ?We?ve got to run water when we wash different products,? he said. ?Right now, it?s cold enough where it would just make ice.? Chevreaux said the majority of the Carmeuse work force would probably be back on the job by next week. ?Everybody who wanted to work has worked this winter,? he said. ?Some of the guys want to be off in the winter, because they do other things. They cut wood or do other stuff.
Even with the delay, Chevreaux is still expecting to ship out the same amount of stone this season. ?We?ll just be a little busier.? THE SOO LOCKS? other operational lock, the MacArthur, is still undergoing maintenance and is expected to open April 10 at 7 a.m. ?Maintaining and operating the Soo Locks is one of the most important responsibilities of the Detroit District,? said Lt. Col. Michael Derosier, district engineer. ?Thanks to the hard work and skill of dozens of Soo area office employees who performed their duties under harsh winter conditions, the Poe Lock is open on time.?