Milestone marks protection of Straits, emphasizes safety



Man watching monitor screens As part of the Enbridge Maritime Pipeline Protection Program (EMP3), the Enbridge Straits Maritime Operations Center (ESMOC) opened in July 2020. The high-tech facility mirrors operation centers governmental agencies use throughout the world to help protect ports and waterways.

Enbridge program, ESMOC facility monitor ship passage

Jan. 5, 2022

Recently, the Enbridge Maritime Pipeline Protection Program (EMP3) marked a safety milestone in the effort to prevent anchor strikes. On Dec. 18, 2021, EMP3 tracked and engaged the 5,000th vessel traveling through the Straits of Mackinac since EMP3’s efforts began in October 2019.

Among those vessels, EMP3 detected only a handful of situations: two improperly stored anchors; a missing anchor; a tug with two lines in the water; and a tug/barge loitering over the lines while waiting out a Lake Michigan storm. EMP3 communicated with each vessel captain to confirm the safety of each condition well in advance of crossing the dual pipelines known as Line 5. These preemptive actions ensured the continued safe operation of these important ship travel lanes in the Great Lakes.

“Historically, the Straits is known as a pivotal passage for ships and other freighters transporting goods vital to our supply chain,” said Bob Lehto, Enbridge’s operations manager for the northern Michigan area.

A barge on the water On Dec. 18, 2021, the EMP3 reached a safety milestone by tracking and engaging the 5,000th vessel traveling through the Straits of Mackinac.

“Similarly, the region has relied on Enbridge’s Line 5 in the Straits to meet its energy demands, including the propane that heats the majority of homes in the region and the diesel and other fuels essential to transportation.  Every day, EMP3 demonstrates that ships can continue to safely pass through the Straits—carrying wood, metal, steel and other raw materials used in manufacturing and other processes—while Line 5 reliably transports the light crude oil and natural gas liquids essential to daily life.”

Shipping is historically important

For more than three centuries, the Straits of Mackinac has served as a major passageway for ships and freighters carrying raw materials and finished goods that people depend on every day.

Today, a special unit of the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) patrols the Straits year-round. The USCG deploys its icebreaker vessels capable of cutting through four feet of ice, maintaining safe passage through the winter months.

In addition to the USCG’s commitment to protecting the Straits, Enbridge undertook a largely unprecedented move for a company—opening a maritime operations center to enhance safeguards in the Straits.

ESMOC watches the waters 24/7

Within the EMP3, the Enbridge Straits Maritime Operations Center (ESMOC) opened in July 2020. The high-tech facility mirrors operation centers governmental agencies use throughout the world to help protect ports and waterways.

Staffed around the clock, ESMOC is the nerve center for a suite of waterway safety systems Enbridge put in place to help prevent an anchor strike on the dual pipelines in the Straits. With a combination of human and technological resources, the center performs visual inspections of vessels traveling through the Straits and their anchor positions; it uses an alert system to identify approaching vessels and issues a safety notification of a “no anchor zone.” ESMOC also tracks wind speed, wave heights and ice flows in the Straits.

“ESMOC’s main purpose is to enhance safety in the Straits,” said Lehto.

“While ESMOC’s role in safety remains focused on maintaining safe passageways and clearance related to Line 5, we also have worked with the U.S. Coast Guard and area first responders on two search and rescues. We reported a brush fire seen while patrolling and also videoed a small plane fly under the bridge and reported that event to authorities. ESMOC has become an extension of our commitment to overall community safety.”

ESMOC provides a near-term solution for enhancing protections of the Straits of Mackinac, though Enbridge is focusing on a long-term solution, which is the construction of the Great Lakes Tunnel.  Placed deep below the lakebed, the Tunnel will encase a replacement section of Line 5 in the Straits, eliminating the chance of an anchor strike to Line 5 and virtually eliminating the chance of a release from Line 5.