Soo Locks to open for season tonight, first freighter already in line - mlive.com

The Soo Locks is set to open tonight, kicking off the 2024 shipping season on the upper Great Lakes. And there won’t be any last-minute guessing about which freighter will be the first ship through the big Poe Lock.

The Joseph L. Block rumbled up to the upbound approach about 3 p.m. Thursday, earning first place in the lineup to get through the locks when it opens at 6 p.m. today, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which oversees the lock system. The Block motored up from Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.

Once it gets through the lock, it will be bound for Two Harbors, Minnesota. Ship enthusiasts can see the Soo Locks opening via a Facebook Live event. It is to begin streaming at 5:55 p.m. today.

The Joseph L. Block freighter waits by the approach to the Soo Locks. It is to be the first ship through on Friday, March 22 when the locks open for the 2024 shipping season. Photo provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.U.S. Army Corps

The Soo Locks have been closed to all shipping traffic for annual winter maintenance since mid-January. Earlier this month, the Army Corps announced the locks would be opening a few days early this season. Mild winter weather and a nudge from shipping industry executives who still have undelivered cargo from last season combined to make the early opening happen.

The only lock opening Friday will be the Poe Lock, which is the biggest piece of the Soo Locks and can handle the massive 1,000-foot freighters. The Soo Locks’ smaller MacArthur Lock will remain closed for maintenance until April 24. The Soo’s other two lock spaces are being used as part of a project to create another huge lock on the site.

The Joseph L. Block will get “first ship” honors along with a bit of Soo Locks fanfare. The self-unloading cargo ship is 728 feet long. Launched in 1976, it was built specifically for the iron ore industry on the Great Lakes.

While it’s not quite at March Madness-level of bracket jockeying, there is a lot of speculation among maritime enthusiasts each spring about which ship will be the first one to arrive.

According to its crew’s posts on social media, the Joseph L. Block started its winter layup in its Wisconsin harbor on Jan. 17.

“The 2023 season this year was a busy one for the Block and her crew. An early fitout led to 55 trips total for the season (56 if you count the trip to the yard),” the ship’s crew said. “Ports visited this year included Duluth, Two Harbors, Silver Bay, Marquette, Cedarville, Port Inland, Burns Harbor, Indiana Harbor, Toledo and Cleveland. We also had one trip to Stoneport this year, which was the Block’s first call there in 30 years (1993). All in all it was a good safe season. Once again, its been a pleasure working alongside each one of these individuals.”

Early Thursday, the crew posted a photo of their journey to the Soo and gave their arrival time. “Sounds like we may be 1st through for the season!”

Later in the day, they did a little fist-pumping: “We’re number 1! Tied up and waiting at the Soo Locks for the locks to open at 6pm tomorrow night. Pretty cool to be here this early!”

While the Joseph L. Block will be the first freighter through the Soo Locks this season, it wasn’t the first vessel to lock through. Ship watchers noted that the Samuel Risley, a Canadian Coast Guard vessel, locked through on Thursday, upbound and headed for the northern rim of Lake Superior. It’s set to break ice in the area of Thunder Bay, Ontario, according to Canadian officials.

RELATED: Top 10 cargo ships that went through the Soo Locks the most in 2023

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An engineering marvel, the Soo Locks in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is one of the busiest maritime locking systems in the world. Each year, more than 4,500 vessels use the locks. And they carry through up to 80 million tons of cargo.

The locks system on the St. Marys River, which allows marine traffic to flow in and out of Lake Superior, is a necessary way to move cargo on the upper Great Lakes. It raises and lowers vessels to accommodate the 23-foot elevation difference between Lake Huron and Lake Superior.

Water flowing into the Poe Lock, the largest chamber of the Soo Locks. Photo provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

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