Six freighters were sitting in the water off Marquette Friday, with a gale warning in effect on Lake Superior.

It’s a rare sight to see, but it shows how the Great Lakes shipping industry is respecting the power of Lake Superior. The freighters started arriving in Marquette on Thursday.

The freighters near Marquette were the Kaye E Barker; Whitefish Bay; Arthur M. Anderson; John G Munson; Csl Welland; and Rt Hon Paul J Martin.

Three other ships were taking refuge near the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula - the Walter J McCarthy; Indiana Harbor; and American Century. Two more are between Marquette and the Keweenaw - Burns Harbor and Edgar B. Speer.

Eric Peace, vice president of the Lake Carriers’ Association, says it’s a significant wind storm, and it’s not uncommon for ships to take refuge when the wind is blowing like it was Friday - up to 45 knots out of the west with waves as large as 15 feet.

When the wind is strong out of the west or east, there is nowhere for freighters to hide without hunkering down.

“When you get it out of the north or the south, the mariners can run the shorelines, but when you’re talking the length of the lake, and it’s either coming from the west or the east, it makes it much more difficult to navigate with the larger waves and the winds blowing that direction,” Peace said. “Once you get around the Keweenaw Peninsula, there’s nowhere to hide.” 

Peace says this is another early delay to the shipping season, which has been slowed down by ice cover and other windy days.

“Those delays cost us time, and it’s really critical that we’re able to make those up going throughout the rest of the year so we can continue to ship those raw materials,” he said.

Peace says the ships hope to resume travel by Saturday. He says some of the best mariners in the world are navigating the Great Lakes with a lot of expertise - some having 30-years of experience - and they will sail when they feel safe.

To see the original post and read related stories, follow this link to the WLUC-TV website via KBJR-TV. https://www.kbjr6.com/2022/04/15/freighters-wait-out-gale-warning-marquette/