Position Papers

Keep Commerce Moving on the Great Lakes During the Winter Months – Protect the Supply Chain

Goal:

Build a second heavy Great Lakes icebreaker now and repower the 140-foot icebreaking tugs. Build a second heavy Great Lakes icebreaker now and repower the 140-foot icebreaking tugs. The USCG should provide the Great Lakes the same icebreaking level of service provided to American East Coast ports and waterways.

Background:

Once again Great Lakes shipping suffered significant delays in late 2022 due to ice and a lack of USCG icebreakers. Just as the season was closing for the year a massive cold front swept through the Great Lakes Christmas week. The result was a rapid freeze of the western basin of Lake Erie which caused an ice plug to form in the Detroit River and shutdown shipping traffic for almost a week. Over the past ten years, the lack of adequate icebreaking on the Great Lakes has caused the loss of over 10,000 jobs and $2 billion to the economy.  In addition, ice jam flooding in the Great Lakes region has become extreme due to more frequent polar vortexes. The 2023 National Defense Authorization Act requires the USCG to accurately measure the movement of winter commerce across the entire Great Lakes and authorizes the full construction cost of the new heavy icebreaker at $350 million.  The USCG has committed to building the new icebreaker and included $55 million in the President’s Fiscal Year 2024 budget request.

Only construction of a twin to the heavy Great Lakes icebreaker MACKINAW will ensure the continued movement of critical raw materials on the Great Lakes during the winter season.  The interconnected Great Lakes system requires reliable and predictable icebreaking to ensure workers at the ports, on the ships, at the mills, and at the mines stay employed and continue to produce and transport the vital cargoes needed to keep American economic security intact.

The 40-year-old 140-foot icebreaking tugs continue to suffer significant casualties even after their “service life extension program (SLEP)” which was supposed to keep the vessels in service for another 15 years.  Unfortunately, the SLEP did not address the heart of the ships which is their main engines and motor.  These crucial icebreaking ships need to be replaced, however repowering the vessels, which was not done during their SLEP, would bridge the gap until new ships can be built. 

Action:

Funding must be provided now for a second heavy icebreaker to be built and operated on the Great Lakes.  The USCG must repower the 140-foot icebreaking tugs, preferably at shipyards in the Great Lakes. GLMTF supports the reauthorization of $350 million for the Great Lakes heavy icebreaker in the 2024 Coast Guard Authorization Bill.  In addition, GLMTF urges Congress to appropriate at least $55 million for the icebreaker in 2024 and continued funding in future years to keep construction moving forward and ahead of the 10-year completion timeframe cited by the USCG.