Soo Lock shuts down due to mechanical issues

The MacArthur Lock, one of the two actively used locks that enable ships to travel between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes, will be closed for at least 10 days due to a malfunctioning gate.    The MacArthur Lock, located on the Soo Locks in the Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. section of the Great Lakes, is currently out of operation due to a malfunctioning gate that was not closing properly, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District said yesterday.
   The lock is expected to be closed for at least 10 days, during which time the Army Corps of Engineers will dewater the MacArthur Lock to determine the cause of the malfunction before deciding on a subsequent course of action.
   Vessels that typically use the MacArthur Lock will utilize the Poe Lock, the Soo Locks Complex’s only other active lock.
   The Soo Locks Complex was originally constructed to handle the approximate 21-foot water level drop in an area known as the St. Marys Rapids, enabling ships to travel between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes. In addition to the MacArthur Lock and Poe Lock, the complex is composed of the inactive Sabin Lock and the Davis Lock, which is only used by Soo Area Office vessels when necessary.
   Industry officials worry the closure of the MacArthur Lock could have an impact on cargo operations on the Great Lakes both in the short and long-term.
   “This is going to slow things down significantly,” Glen Nekvasil, spokesperson for the Lake Carriers Association said in a statement. “This illustrates the need for an additional lock in Sault Ste. Marie. Another Poe-sized lock is what we need to handle all the vessels in the fleet.”
   Nekvasil noted shippers are already shifting cargo operations to different ports around the Great Lakes to avoid the MacArthur Lock. “To a degree, people can change schedules and things, but the longer this lasts, the more cargo will be delayed and that will have a significant impact on customers,” he said.
   “We’ve had outages before, but this is going to be one of the longest in recent memory and it’s going to have a real impact on cargo trade on the lakes,” added Nekvasil.
   “Once you lose time like this, it’s almost automatic that it means lost cargo.”