NEW YORK: Spliethoff’s Floragracht, carrying a shipment of refinery equipment from the Port of Antwerp, arrived at the Port of Toledo on Lake Erie, marking the opening of the 2015 season for Ohio port.
Icy conditions through the St. Lawrence Seaway delayed its arrival by several days, a common occurrence across ports in the region, reported The Blade. The Seaway opened on April 2, a little later than average, as ice plagued transits through the waterway.
After just five hours to discharge its cargo destined for the BP-Husky refinery, the 12,178-deadweight-ton Floragracht was on its way back to Lake Erie, sailing for Windsor.
In the upper Great Lakes, heavy ice continues to force ships to follow icebreakers in convoys.
Another brutal winter, coupled with a number of casualties to U.S. and Canadian icebreakers, slowed the resumption of navigation,” the Lake Carriers Association said in a statement.
