Coast Guard's Latest Ice Breaking Trip To Midland Unsuccessful
An icebreaker attempted to come into the harbour on April 8, but was forced to turn back just north of Hope Island.
The Pierre Radisson, a medium icebreaker from Quebec City, was coming up to create a track through the ice for a Canadian Steamship Lines vessel stuck in the Midland harbour.
However, constant winds from the northwest and below-average temperatures this winter have created exceptionally large ice ridges in the area north of Hope Island.
"An ice specialist on board the Pierre Radisson estimates the ice thickness in this area at six metres (19.6 feet). This creates safety issues for any commercial vessel ship even when transiting behind an icebreaker," said Carol Launderville, media relations with the Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard will return to the area for more icebreaking once conditions improve.
It is not yet known when the next icebreaking mission to Midland will take place.
This was the third time an icebreaker attempted to get into the Midland harbour but was forced to turn around.