The first tow of the 2025 navigation season arrived in St. Paul, Minnesota, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced March 20. The Motor Vessel (MV) Neil N. Diehl locked through Lock and Dam 2, in Hastings, Minnesota, March 19, with nine barges.

Reaching St. Paul marks the unofficial start to the navigation season because it's the last port on the Upper Mississippi River to open every year. The delay is a result of ice in Lake Pepin, near Red Wing, Minnesota, that prevents tows from heading upstream of the area until conditions improve, noted the Corps.

Tom Cagle, captain of the Ingram Barge Company Neil N. Diehl said when he reached the opening to Lake Pepin on March 19, the lake was wide open and free of ice. "It was pretty uneventful," said Cagle. "What a difference a week makes. No ice in the lake this year for us to play in. Good for business, but I have to say I'm disappointed as well."

Cagle was likely referring to when he and Mike Slaby, the captain of MV Philip M. Pfeffer arrived at Lake Pepin together at 6:15 a.m. CDT on March 11, 2023, and began "leapfrogging" as they cut their way through the heavy ice on the 21-mile-long frozen lake. It wasn't until after 10 p.m. CDT that they messaged me saying they were in the clear.

This year Cagle was alone on his journey up to the head of navigation in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he took nine loads of cement to Pig's Eye, just east of downtown St. Paul, Minnesota, in upper Pool 2 of the Mississippi River.

"The average first tow to reach the head of navigation in St. Paul is the third week in March. The Motor Vessel Joseph Patrick Eckstein was the first tow of the 2024 navigation season to reach St. Paul. She arrived March 17, 2024. The earliest date for a tow to reach St. Paul occurred March 4. It happened in 1983, 1984 and 2000."

On March 10, the USACE St. Paul Division announced that the first tow of the season that entered the St. Paul District at Lock and Dam 10 in Guttenberg, Iowa, was the Ingram Barge Company MV Phillip Pfeffer, after having gone through Dubuque.

Passing through Dubuque also gave MV Phillip Pfeffer the honor of becoming the first tow to open the Mid-Mississippi River. Pursuant to the NGFA Trade Rules, NGFA declared the Mid-Mississippi River opened for navigation as of 7 a.m. CDT on Monday, March 10.

NGFA Barge Freight Trading Rule 18(J) provides as follows: "The Dubuque and South (Mid-Mississippi) opening commences the first 07:00 hours of the first business day after the first empty dry cargo covered barge suitable for loading, originating at or below Winfield, Missouri, reaches Dubuque, Iowa."

Video taken by Matt Larson of MV Neil N. Diehl crossing Lake Pepin on March 19: https://youtu.be/…

Mary Kennedy can be reached at mary.kennedy@dtn.com

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