Ice breaking efforts are expected to begin in the Thunder Bay area on Wednesday.

The United States Coast Guard cutter Katmai Bay has been called upon to break up ice on Lake Superior ice in order to allow commercial traffic to safely navigate in and out of the area.

“All ice surface users should plan their activities carefully, use caution on the ice and avoid the shipping lanes and icebreaking operations,” a release issued Wednesday morning by the Canadian Coast Guard reads.

“Broke and fragmented ice tracks and ridging left behind by passing icebreakers or commercial vessels may not freeze over immediately. This can result in hazardous conditions for ice users, In addition, newly fallen snow will obscure ship tracks. Unsafe ice conditions can persist long after icebreakers have left the area.”

The Katmai Bai will be utilized under a longstanding partnership between the Canadian and United States coast guards.

To listen to an audio version of this story and see related reports, follow this link to the Thunder Bay NewsWatch website. https://www.tbnewswatch.com/local-news/icebreaker-set-to-arrive-in-thunder-bay-area-4889931