US Coast Guard officials say ice conditions this year are much improved from last year. The Director of Vessel Traffic for the St. Mary’s River Mark Gill talks about the difference in conditions this year compared to last year…

Gill says they expect there will be delays when the Sault Locks open but nothing close to what we experienced last year. The locks opened overnight and the first vessel to pass through was the US freighter Edwin H. Gott shortly before 10 this morning. Gill says while this year’s ice coverage is similar to that of last year, the thickness of the ice is down considerably…

Gill says the ice coverage this year peaked in early March at 88% and as of late last week it had dropped to 52% coverage. Last year it peaked at 93% on March the 12th and didn’t begin to show signs of deterioration until mid-April. He talks about the time it takes for vessels to cross Lake Superior something that was quite challenging last year at this time…

Many shipping companies last year pushed off the start date for their fleets until the 1st of April.