- The Soo Locks reopened to Great Lakes freighter traffic after winter maintenance.
- H. Lee White is the first freighter to go through the Poe Lock as the 2020 shipping.
- The Soo Locks located in the St. Marys River.
- It is designed to move ships and cargo between Lake Superior and the lower level of Lake Huron.
- It is the only way ships can travel between the upper and lower Great Lakes.
- 22 million gallons of water is required to raise the level of the Poe Lock by 21 feet when a big ship passes
- The locks handle more than 4,500 vessels carrying up to 80 million tons of cargo.
According to an article published in Michigan Live, the Soo Locks reopened to Great Lakes freighter traffic.
Soo locks reopened
On March 25, the upbound H. Lee White slid in to claim the honors as the first big laker to go through the Poe Lock as the 2020 shipping season got underway.
The locks system had been closed since mid-January for its annual winter maintenance work.
“Right on time, at one minute past midnight, the lower gates of the Poe Lock opened and the H. Lee White made its way into the lock, officially opening the 2020 navigation season at the Soo Locks in Sault Saint Marie, Michigan. The 704-foot-long vessel is headed to Superior, Wisconsin,” the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, said on its Facebook post.
The H. Lee White cleared the locks just before 1 a.m. and began its journey across Lake Superior.
Lee White passes through Soo locks
The H. Lee White is owned by the New York-based American Steamship Company. It has a dozen freighters crisscrossing the Great Lakes, with half of them in the 1,000-footer ranks. The H. Lee White measures 704 feet. It has six cargo holds and its load capacity is more than 35,000 tons.
The ship was built in Sturgeon Bay, Wis. in 1974.
“The M/V H. Lee White is powered by two 3500 HP General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD) diesel engines,” ASC says on its website. “The vessel uses a conveyor system below its cargo holds to transport cargo to an inclined conveyor system that elevates the cargo to the deck-mounted boom conveyor. For maneuvering in port, the vessel is equipped with 1,000 HP bow and stern thrusters.”
Coastguard ships dispatched on ice-breaking duties
Earlier this week, U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard ships locked through the Soo on their way to ice-breaking duties on both sides of the border.
The Soo Locks engineering system in the St. Marys River is designed to move ships and cargo between Lake Superior and the lower level of Lake Huron. It’s the only way ships can travel between the upper and lower Great Lakes.
It takes about 22 million gallons of water to raise the level of the Poe Lock by 21 feet when a big ship comes through, the Army Corps said.
Each year, the locks handle more than 4,500 vessels carrying up to 80 million tons of cargo. Iron ore, limestone, and coal make up the bulk of what is coming through on the big freighters.
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Source: MichiganLive
