The 2025-2026 winter layup list is now up and running at  https://boatnerd3.jasonbowlerdesign.com/winter-lay-up-list-2025-2026

Soo Locks closing for seasonal repair, maintenance

   The Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan will close to all marine traffic beginning 11:59 p.m. Jan. 15, or until commercial traffic ceases, through 12:01 a.m. March 25 to perform seasonal critical maintenance.
   Federal regulation (33 CFR 207.440) establishes the operating season based on the feasibility of vessels operating during typical Great Lakes ice conditions.
   “Every year, our lock and dam operators transition from assisting vessels through the Soo Locks to performing maintenance on the locks,” Operations Branch Chief Jeff Harrington said. “The team works alongside Soo Project Office maintenance crews to provide 100% effort in completing all critical maintenance during the 10-week shutdown. They work long hours in harsh northern Michigan winter conditions to complete a significant amount of maintenance during this annual closure period.”
   This winter maintenance period, the MacArthur Lock will not be dewatered and will close for the season when the weather or ice conditions make operation unsafe and/or inefficient, or when the Poe Lock closes, whichever comes first. Communication with industry will be made at least 48 hours prior to closure. The MacArthur Lock is scheduled to reopen in late April 2026.
   The Poe lock will remain operational (on a 24-hour basis) through January 15, 2026, or until commercial traffic ceases – whichever occurs first. The Poe Lock will be dewatered during the maintenance season and is scheduled to reopen on March 25.
   The team will install temporary panel bridges across the MacArthur and Poe Lock. The panel bridges will provide the ability to mobilize materials and equipment to the job sites throughout the winter closure.
   Maintenance on the MacArthur Lock will include the Soo Project Office fabricating and replacing spring boxes and lever arms for Gates 3, 4 and 5, constructing a recess cutout for the panel bridge, repairing a Gate 2 strut arm, as well as concrete and deck plate repairs to Gate 5
   Maintenance on the Poe Lock will include underfloor cleanout and manhole inspection, a five-year periodic assessment, Gate 1 repairs, Gate 4 lifting lug installation, Gate 3 jacking pedestal repairs and testing of Ice Study wall coating.
   In addition to the above, crews will also perform a wide range of other maintenance tasks from the replacement of pier fender timbers to inspections and preventative maintenance on electrical and mechanical systems on both the Poe and MacArthur Locks.
   “Reliable Great Lakes navigation and the momentum of the American manufacturing supply chain depend on getting the job done here. In an unforgiving northern climate, our exceptional team tackles the complex maintenance demands of aging infrastructure, proving their skill on systems well past their service life.” Soo Locks Operations Manager LeighAnn Ryckeghem said.
   More than 4,500 vessels, carrying up to 80 million tons of cargo, maneuver through the locks annually. Iron ore, coal, wheat and limestone are among the most frequently carried commodities. Opened in 1969, the Poe Lock is 1,200 feet long. The MacArthur Lock opened in 1943 and is 800 feet long.
   The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, maintains a navigation system of 81 harbors, including the Great Lakes Connecting Channels that join lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, St. Clair and Erie.
   Visit the Detroit District Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/USACEDetroitDistrict for information about the last vessel to transit the Soo Locks for the 2025-2026 shipping season and updates on maintenance work.

 [U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District]

Poe Lock reopens after maintenance,
then fog closes part of St. Marys River

9 a.m. UPDATE: The fog lifted a few hours after midnight and river traffic resumed. CCG icebreaker Vincent Massey was in the lower river headed for Lake Superior.

ORIGINAL REPORT:   SAULT STE. MARIE, MI – Lake boats can’t seem to catch a break at the Soo Locks and on the St. Marys River.
   The Poe Lock was closed from 8 a.m. to about 6 p.m. Tuesday for maintenance, delaying the downbound Edwin H. Gott, American Spirit and John G. Munson. After the lock reopened, and after Wilfred Sykes locked down through the adjacent MacArthur Lock, the Gott locked down, then the river was closed from Nine Mile Point to the Mud Lake Junction Buoy due to fog. American Spirit was stopped at the West Pier, the Munson above the locks and the unfortunate Gott hove to in the ice near the Nine Mile Anchorage, not making much progress for the day enroute to Gary.
   Vessels continue to have issues with ice in the upper locks approaches, with the Corps tug Owen M. Frederick doing ice control around the lock gates and lock walls.
   Monday evening, the upbound Saginaw came to a stop in the ice at Stribling Point at the north end of Neebish Island. After help from USCG Katmai Bay Tuesday morning, Saginaw was underway and locking up in the late afternoon for Thunder Bay but tied up at the Algoma Export Dock, perhaps for the night. She was followed up by the Algoma Buffalo, headed for Superior. At 10 p.m. Tuesday, the American Integrity was at the lower Poe Lock pier waiting to go up, while Clyde S. VanEnkevort was anchored off Bay Mills. Harvest Spirit was inbound at DeTour and headed for the anchorage, joining the Algocanada. Baie Comeau was approaching from the west.
   Temperatures are near 30 with some fog. The Soo Locks close for the season Jan. 15.

[Know Your Ships]

South Channel in Straits of Mackinac
to close Jan. 8 due to ice

   The Coast Guard Sector Northern Great Lakes is scheduled to close the South Channel in the Straits of Mackinac between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 8.
   According to the Coast Guard, the closure is due to expanded ice coverage in the area. The channel, located between Cheboygan and Bois Blanc Island, will remain in effect until ice is no longer a concern. Any ship traffic in the area can continue to use the Round Island Passage, on the northern side of Bois Blanc Island.

[USCG]

Seaway to close Jan. 8; upbound traffic resumes at Beauharnois Lock

   After several days of delays caused by heavy ice and one-way downbound traffic, upbound movement has finally resumed at the Beauharnois Locks. The Seaway will now close Jan. 8.

   Tanker Algonova was first to make the passage Monday en route to Sarnia. Following closely behind, tug Wilf Seymour and barge Alouette Spirit were also underway, heading upbound to Hamilton.

   With freezing conditions causing repeated issues in the lock chambers and requiring slow, staggered transits for downbound vessels, this progress marks a significant shift in momentum.

[Janey Anderson]

Vectis Pride first vessel of year to dock at Port of Trois-Rivières

   The Port of Trois-Rivières, QC, has welcomed the first vessel of the year, Vectis Pride, marking today 60 years of maritime tradition during a ceremony.
   Vectis Pride docked at the Port on January 4, 2026, at 12:05 a.m. after a voyage of 15 days across the Atlantic. The vessel, with its 13 crew members of Filipino, Romanian, Russian, and Ukrainian nationalities, departed the Port of Antwerp on December 20, 2025. Its steel cargo from Antwerp is handled by Logistec and destined for the construction industry.
   To win the title of the first vessel of the year, it must come from a foreign port, must have completed its crossing without stopping or calling at another Canadian port, and must also carry out loading or unloading operations in Trois-Rivières.
   During the ceremony, Captain Danut Ivan and Chief Engineer Andrei Tyshko received gift baskets of regional products, as well as a print of the artwork A Port, A Team, created by Ms. Caroline St-Pierre, a painter from Mauricie.
   Anick Métivier, President and CEO of the Port, highlighted the work of Logistec, a company specializing in the handling of all types of goods. He emphasized the ecosystem required and the efforts of all those mobilized to ensure ships reach their destination safely and as quickly as possible.
   He also took the opportunity to stress the importance of maintaining a strong City-Port relationship and noted that 2026 will allow the Port to shape an even more ambitious future.

[Maritime Matters]