Overview
- The operation began at 1 p.m. on Dec. 10 under Sector Northern Great Lakes to keep commercial traffic moving through newly forming ice.
- USCGC SPAR is managing icebreaking for the Duluth–Superior ports in western Lake Superior.
- Operation Taconite is the Coast Guard’s largest domestic icebreaking effort and covers Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, the St. Marys River, the Straits of Mackinac and Georgian Bay.
- Movement controls include daylight-only tanker transits in the presence of ice, 2 mph speed reductions in specified areas, and added voice and position reporting.
- The Coast Guard warns that some waterways may close after environmental, ferry, and island-resident safety considerations, and it urges recreational users to avoid shipping channels.