Market Matters Blog           03/26 09:57

   Upper Mississippi and Great Lakes Shipping Seasons Have Commenced

   The 2026 shipping season began in the past week as the Upper Mississippi 
River is now open in addition to the Great Lakes.

Mary Kennedy
DTN Basis Analyst

   The 2026 shipping season is officially underway, starting with the 
Mid-Mississippi River opener after the National Grain and Feed Association 
(NGFA) declared the waterway open at 7:00 a.m. on March 19, following the MV 
John R. Operle's arrival in Dubuque, Iowa, at 16:30 p.m. on March 18. MV is a 
commonly used shipping term meaning motor vessel.

   According to NGFA Barge Freight Trading Rule 18(J), the Dubuque and South 
(Mid-Mississippi) opening commences the first 07:00 hours of the first business 
day after the first empty dry cargo covered barge suitable for loading, 
originating at or below Winfield, Missouri, reaches Dubuque, Iowa.

   The final hurdle to complete the entire Upper Mississippi opening this year 
was getting through still ice-covered Lake Pepin. The USACE, St. Paul District, 
said on their website, "Lake Pepin is the last major barrier for vessels 
reaching the head of the navigation channel in St. Paul, Minnesota. Located 
between the Minnesota cities of Red Wing and Wabasha, Lake Pepin is the last 
part of the river to break up (ice) because the river is wider, and 
subsequently, the current is slower there than it is in other parts of the 
river. If a tow can make it through Lake Pepin, it can make it to St. Paul. The 
Army Corps of Engineers measures ice thickness on Lake Pepin throughout the 
spring to report to tow companies about the impending ice-out."

   I contacted the captain of the MV Angela K, Captain Aaron Hundt, and he 
said, "We arrived just below Lake Pepin around 3:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 22, 
and I decided to let the warm weather do its thing all day hoping that it would 
soften up a little more before we made a run for it. I started across the Lake 
as the first boat to cross around 7:00 a.m. and it took about 4 hours to cover 
the 5-mile stretch of ice. It looked like the top layer had really softened up, 
but there was still a consistent 8-10 inches of ice we were busting through."

   Hundt added, "We were the first boat all the way up, but there was a small 
boat that was behind waiting for us to break through Lake Pepin. He only had a 
couple empties, making better time and is a single lock so he asked if he could 
come around us."

   When the Hastings railroad bridge near Lock 2 reopened on March 23, the 
smaller tow MV Crockett moved ahead of MV Angela K and was locked through with 
two barges. Following MV Crockett through Lock 2, the MV Angela K remained on 
track to be the first arrival of the season in St. Paul. The tow was pushing 
nine barges carrying magnesite, ammonium phosphate and calcium ammonium 
nitrate. Reaching St. Paul marks the unofficial start to the navigation season 
as it is the last port on the Upper Mississippi River to open every year.

   According to the Corps, the earliest date for an upbound tow to reach Lock 
and Dam 2 was March 4, in 1983, 1984 and 2000. The average starting date of the 
navigation season is March 22. The latest arrival date in a non-flood year was 
April 4, 2008. Historic flooding in 2001 delayed the arrival of the first tow 
until May 11.

   GREAT LAKES/ST. LAWRENCE SEAWAY SEASON OFFICIALLY OPEN

   After the latest close on record, Jan. 12, 2026, the U.S. Department of 
Transportation's Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (GLS) 
celebrated opening the vital waterway's 68th navigation season at the St. 
Lambert Lock in Quebec, Canada. GLS Administrator Mike McCoshen was joined by 
St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) President and CEO Jim 
Athanasiou to welcome MV BLACKY -- the first commercial vessel to travel 
through the lock and kick off the new navigation season, according to a press 
release from the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation.

   The opening of the Seaway also paves the way for the first saltie 
(ocean-going ship) to enter from the Atlantic Ocean at Montreal, Quebec. At the 
far end of the Seaway, in the Port of Duluth-Superior, the first saltie is a 
welcome sight and signals the opening of their grain shipping season. The 
distance from the Atlantic Ocean to Duluth, Minnesota, on Lake Superior is 
2,038 nautical miles. Here is more info on the St. Lawrence Seaway: 
https://greatlakes-seaway.com/en/the-seaway/facts-figures/.

   Northwest of the main St. Lawrence Seaway system are the Soo Locks. The Soo 
Locks are a set of parallel locks, operated and maintained by the United States 
Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, located on the St. Mary's River. The 
locks allow freighters to navigate between Lake Superior and the lower Great 
Lakes, the St. Lawrence Seaway, and international markets. Link to more info on 
the Soo Locks: 
https://www.lrd.usace.army.mil/Missions/Projects/Display/Article/3641904/soo-loc
ks/.

   In a March 10 press release, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit 
District, said they would open the Poe Lock, part of the Soo Locks, in Sault 
Ste. Marie, Michigan, to all marine traffic at 12:01 a.m. EDT on March 25, 
marking the start of the 2026 Great Lakes shipping season. The tugboat Dirk S. 
VanEnkevort, pushing the barge Michigan Trader, was the first to pass through 
the lock. Federal regulation (33 CFR 207.440) establishes the operating season 
based on the feasibility of vessels operating during typical Great Lakes ice 
conditions. Link to USACE press release: 
https://www.lrd.usace.army.mil/News/News-Releases/Display/Article/4429668/soo-lo
cks-to-open-for-2026-shipping-season/.

   Vessels entering the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway will encounter ice in 
spots but otherwise should have smooth sailing. The Great Lakes Ice Tracker for 
March 25, 2026, showed combined ice coverage at 19%. Lake Superior is 19% 
covered, Lake Michigan is 10%, Lake Huron is 38%, Lake Erie is 4% and Lake 
Ontario is 3% covered.

   Mary Kennedy can be reached at mary.kennedy@dtn.com

   Follow her on social platform X @MaryCKenn




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