First freighter of the year to ship out

MARQUETTE, Mich. (WLUC) - The first freighter of the year was docked on Friday at the Presque Isle ore dock in Marquette.

The Soo Locks play a vital part in the economy of the Great Lakes region. The locks are the only way the shipments can travel to the various manufacturing facilities that need the raw materials.

Lake Carriers Association vice president says the locks are vital not only for lake towns, but for the national economy as well.

“Now we need to get the supplies back down to those mills so that the stockpiles are so low they need the additional cargo now for those raw materials,” said Eric Peace, Lake Carriers Association vice president. “So, a very vital piece of national economic infrastructure takes place here on the great lakes of moving all those critical raw materials to manufacturing facilities down south.”

The locks close for repairs throughout the winter months and they reopen Friday, March 24.

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