New heavy icebreaking ship on Great Lakes called for by Senators

Eight U.S. senators from the Great Lakes region are pushing for federal funding of a new icebreaking vessel to clear paths for winter cargo shipping.

Sens. Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan and six colleagues from neighbouring states have sent a letter to leaders of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security requesting money to design and build the craft.

The U.S. Coast Guard has nine cutters on the Great Lakes that have some icebreaking capability. But the Mackinaw is the only "heavy icebreaker" assigned to the lakes, which has led to significant backlogs in recent winters.

The senators' letter says thick ice caused a 2.9-million-metric-tonne drop in Great Lakes freight shipping last winter, costing $355 million US in lost revenue and nearly 2,000 jobs.