A Canadian freighter struck an unknown object as it crossed Lake Superior on Saturday, but made it from Minnesota to Ontario, Canada, despite taking on water.
The 689-foot Michipicoten hit an object Saturday at about 7:35 a.m. when it was 35 miles southwest of Isle Royale, which is in American waters, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
The Coast Guard and a National Park Service boat responded. Eleven of 22 crew members were evacuated from the Michipicoten, the Start-Tribune reported.
The freighter Edwin H. Gott and a Border Patrol boat also responded to accompany the stricken freighter.
Michipicoten arriving in Thunder Bay with tug assistance this afternoon. 📸 Michael Hull pic.twitter.com/zN0Kxzy7xL
— Michael Folsom, Seaway Ship Watchers Network ⚓️ (@theshipwatcher) June 8, 2024
At one point, the ship was listing 15 degrees, but pumps brought the leak under control to the point where the freighter only listed five degrees, the Star-Tribune reported.
None of the crew was injured.
The freighter was carrying taconite, a low-grade iron ore, on its trip from Two Harbors, Minnesota, to Thunder Bay, Ontario.
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None of the taconite spilled in the incident.
“The Coast Guard was definitely prepared to respond to any worst-case scenario: capsize or sink,” said Lt. Joseph Snyder, a Coast Guard spokesman, according to the Detroit News.
“Fortunately the vessel was able to control the flooding enough to get safely to Thunder Bay and we didn’t end up having to go that route.”
Wow, here’s a Facebook photo of the MICHIPICOTEN taking on water in Lake Superior after hitting something near Isle Royale. Pumps reduced the listing from 15° to a 5° tilt, half the crew has been evacuated as she now heads to Thunder Bay. pic.twitter.com/MVDDMxu16C
— 🌲🌊 (@Chuckumentary) June 8, 2024
Snyder said Transport Canada, which is the Canadian transportation system authority, and the U.S. Coast Guard will conduct a joint investigation.
“The incident occurred in United States waters, the Coast Guard is obviously going to be invested in that side of things, but since it’s a Canadian flag vessel, the Canadian authorities are also going to be very invested,” Snyder said.
“It was carrying 16 long tons of taconite, fortunately none of its cargo entered the water and there’s been no report of pollution of any kind,” Snyder said.
Snyder said the flooded areas of the ship impacted neither the crew nor cargo.
“The spaces that were being flooded … essentially empty spaces, they were not spaces where the crew lived or worked and they were not areas where the cargo was,” Snyder said.
