It was an early start to the Great Lakes Shipping season on Friday at the Soo Locks.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Detroit District spokesperson Carrie Fox says they got a request from the shipping industry to open early to provide relief for the Great Lakes navigation system that will face an influx of foreign vessels since the St. Lawrence Seaway opens Saturday.
“One of the main commodities that is shipped through the Sioux Locks is taconite, which is a form of iron ore,” Fox said. “So that’s the main commodity, but there’s also coal, some grain, aggregate like rock.”
Fox says a lot of maintenance work has been done in the locks over the past ten weeks.
Fox says the city of Sault Ste. Marie and its Convention and Visitors Bureau greet the first ships and give them a plaque and hats to commemorate that they are the first ship through the Soo Locks for the 2025 shipping season. The Visitor Center has an open house for much of the day.
