The crew of U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Neah Bay worked to keep the CSL Laurentien moving during an escort in eastern Lake Erie March. The crew experienced plate ice as thick as three feet and ice ridges as tall as eight feet. Photo courtesy of CSL Laurentien

Ice-breaking operations continue in the St. Lawrence Seaway to keep channels open since the closing of the Montreal to Lake Ontario section Dec. 31.

The U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards have commenced Operation Coal Shovel seasonal domestic ice breaking operations in the Seaway, starting Thursday, according to the Coast Guard office in Detroit.

The Massena locks of the St. Lawrence Seaway closed as of Dec. 31, but icebreaking operations by the two coast guards together will prevent ice jams in the vital economic waterways as conditions worsen throughout the winter.

Ice jams can create a disruption to the flow of maritime commerce, so the icebreakers work diligently to flush ice down the river to facilitate transportation of vital winter cargoes. U.S. and Canadian crew members coordinate, conduct and track maintenance, provide vessel assistance and conduct flushing operations to minimize the potential for residential flooding. The work sets the stage to quickly reopen the Great Lakes maritime transportation system so commercial vessels that may become beset in the ice can proceed.

The winter of 2013-2014 presented some of the harshest ice conditions ever recorded in the Great Lakes. At one point during March 2014, 92.5 percent of the Great Lakes were covered by ice. This was the highest percentage of ice coverage seen since 1979. Icebreaking started in December 2013 and lasted for 128 days.