Canadian Coast Guard Winds Down Season

THUNDER BAY – A record shipping season in the Port of Thunder Bay is starting to wind down.

Today on Lake Superior there are Storm Warnings out. For the Upper and Northwestern parts of Lake Superior, the forecast is calling for wind from the northeast at 10 knots increasing to northeast 20 near noon then backing to north 20 this evening. Winds are forecast to diminish to north 15 near noon Thursday and to north 10 Thursday afternoon. Wind becoming light Thursday evening.

The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) is advising the public that our seasonally operated Search and Rescue stations located on the Great Lakes, Georgian Bay and St. Lawrence River in Ontario are winding down their annual operations.

On November 24, 2014 the Search and Rescue Station in Thunder Bay Ontario closed for the season.

Other stations at Tobermory, Goderich, Kingston, Cobourg, Port Weller, Port Dover, Amherstburg, and Meaford will close over the next two weeks depending on weather conditions.

These Ontario stations will reopen in April 2015.

CCG rescue boats are designed for open-water use and cannot be operated in ice-infested waters.

During this time, winter search and rescue operations will be carried out by the Canadian Coast Guard and the United States Coast Guard using icebreakers and may call upon other available vessels in the area to assist if required.

Aircraft from the Department of National Defence and the United States Coast Guard may also be involved in search and rescue operations, as necessary.