The Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan will open the Poe Lock to all marine traffic at 6 p.m. on March 22, marking the start of the 2024 Great Lakes shipping season.
The shipping industry requested an early season opening due the urging of major steel producers. “The St. Lawrence Seaway has announced that it will open this spring on March 22. We would like to match that early opening at the Soo,” President of the Lake Carriers’ Association James Weakley said. “We also note that the Seaway strike in 2023 and extreme wind events toward the end of the last operating season left the fleet with undelivered cargo.”
“Our winter maintenance period is a critical time for us to invest in our aging locks,” Detroit District Commander Lt. Col. Brett Boyle said. “This year, a number of factors worked in our favor that allowed us to safely deliver this critical maintenance and also open to navigation traffic a few days early, with the St. Lawrence Seaway.”