Spring Icebreaking on the Saguenay River

SAGUENAY, QUÉBEC--(Marketwire - March 4, 2013) - The Canadian Coast Guard advises residents and visitors along the Saguenay Fjord that the CCGS Pierre Radisson will begin spring icebreaking operations on or around March 12. The date is only an indicator, as activities could begin before or after that period, according to operational requirements or prevailing weather conditions.

Any facilities or equipment on the ice between Anse Saint-Jean and Saint-Basile-de-Tableau and between Saint-Basile-de-Tableau, La Baie and Saint-Fulgence must be moved safely ashore before 11:59 p.m. on March 11.

The Canadian Coast Guard strongly recommends that pedestrians, fishers and snowmobilers leave the ice when they see an icebreaker in the vicinity. The ice may move, creating a real danger for anyone in the area of a Canadian Coast Guard unit.

The purpose of this annual operation is to break up the ice in the Saguenay and at the entrances to the tributaries in order to prevent ice jams and flooding that can result from the spring thaw.

Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers have a red hull with a transverse white band in the centre, and a white funnel on top bearing a maple leaf.

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