MARQUETTE, MI-- The 2016 shipping season is officially open in Marquette with the arrival of the Buffalo in the Upper Harbor Sunday.
The freighter took on a load of iron ore.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers opened the Soo Locks early Friday morning, signaling the start of the Great Lakes navigation season. The Roger Blough cleared the Poe Lock around 1:32 a.m.
The U.S. Coast Guard says ice coverage across the Great Lakes never significantly impacted commercial navigation. Still, the seven vessels assigned to clear the Western Great Lakes logged 1,200 hours of ice breaking in support of shipping.
