The Saginaw, a 639-foot long self-unloading bulk carrier, cleared the Poe Lock at the Soo Locks at midnight Thursday, January 19, and was the last ship to go through for the shipping season. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District announced the seasonal closing of the Soo Locks Friday, January 20. The Corps operates and maintains the locks as part of the Great Lakes navigation system and will use this time to perform critical maintenance on the lock structures.

During the 2011 navigation season, 4,040 cargo vessels passed through the Soo Locks carrying almost 75 million tons of iron ore, coal, grain and other commodities. In addition to cargo vessels, 3,175 tour boats, private boats, and other recreational vessels used the locks this past year.

While the locks are closed to navigation for the next two months, crews will be busy with a variety of maintenance projects on both the Poe and MacArthur Locks in preparation for another season.

The Poe stayed open three days past the traditional closing date of the navigation season, at the request of the shipping industry, allowing the movement of more than 400,000 tons of additional cargo. The locks are scheduled to re-open March 25.

The Detroit District, maintains a navigation system that includes 95 harbors and the Great Lakes Connecting Channels that join lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, and Erie.