THUNDER BAY — The Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker Samuel Risley is expected to arrive at Thunder Bay this weekend.
Local port officials say the Risley was due to enter Whitefish Bay at the eastern end of Lake Superior by Wednesday, and to start making her way to the Lakehead.
Thunder Bay Port Authority CEO Tim Heney said her progress will depend on ice conditions but he noted that Lake Superior's ice cover has recently diminished from 90 per cent to 80 per cent of the lake's surface.
"We're expecting the first cargo ship around the 27th, providing icebreaking operations go well in Whitefish Bay," Heney said.
Ice thickness in Thunder Bay harbour is currently around 74 centimetres, which Heney described as "not unusual," adding that "we definitely need the icebreaker here to get things open" for navigation.
Over the past five years or so, annual cargo volume through the port has totalled about nine million tonnes.
Heney expects that trend to continue this year.
The first cargo arriving at Keefer Terminal will be a shipment of steel and rail from Europe.
"We're seeing increasing steel shipments that we've attracted to Thunder Bay. That seems to be more regular, and larger shipments," Heney said.
