U.S. COAST GUARD CUTTER IN GEORGIAN BAY

MIDLAND — Georgian Bay residents may see the United States Coast Guard (USCG) cutter Bristol Bay working in Midland this week.

Starting on or about Wednesday, March 27, it will assist commercial shipping in the eastern waters of the Great Lakes port.

The date is subject to change depending on operational requirements or weather conditions, according provincial police.

All ice surface users should plan their ice activities carefully, use caution on the ice and avoid the shipping lanes and icebreaking operations.

Broken and fragmented ice tracks and ridging left behind by passing icebreakers or commercial vessels may not freeze over immediately.

This can result in hazardous conditions for ice users.

In addition, newly fallen snow will obscure ship tracks. Unsafe ice conditions can persist long after icebreakers have left the area.

At all levels, the Canadian Coast Guard and the USCG work closely together and have developed a longstanding partnership to provide ice-breaking services in the Great Lakes.

Ice-breaking work by the U.S. Coast Guard and the Canadian Coast Guard will see the work its way through local waters as part of a bilateral partnership between the two countries on the Great Lakes.