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Duluth News
MPR News Staff

2025 Great Lakes shipping season starts this week. Duluth will see ships soon

The saltie Federal Margaree passes under the Aerial Lift Bridge
The saltie Federal Margaree passes under the Aerial Lift Bridge in Duluth just after sunrise on Nov. 28, 2018. It was in the Twin Ports to pick up a load of grain.
Andrew Krueger | MPR News file

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The 2025 Great Lakes shipping season begins Friday when the larger of two locks in Sault Sainte Marie, Mich. opens. Ships will soon be on the move to and from Lake Superior ports, including Duluth, Superior, Two Harbors and Silver Bay.

The Michigan locks have been closed since Jan. 16 to allow the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers a chance to complete maintenance, something they do annually for about 10 weeks during the winter. During this time, ships are unable to carry cargo between Lake Superior and the other Great Lakes.

The maintenance finished ahead of schedule so the larger of the locks will open for the season on Friday morning — four days earlier than planned.

The Poe Lock, the larger one opening later this week, and the MacArthur Lock, which will open in April, make up the Soo Locks facility which is the gateway to Lake Superior. These locks see more than 4,500 vessels and 80 million tons of cargo annually.