UPDATES: Latest On The Ship On Lake Superior That Collided With Something, Taking On Water
UPDATED 5:00 pm 6/8/2024: While we don't yet know for sure why the ship started taking on water Saturday morning, a safe conclusion has been reached for the crew and cargo. Here's a walk through the events.
Saturday morning, a Canadian freighter with a load of taconite that had departed from Two Harbors, Minnesota, according to MarineTraffic started taking on water. Some reports say the ship collided with something underwater on Lake Superior, though the official cause has not yet been confirmed.
The US Coast Guard's Great Lakes division X account shared the news just after 7 am on Saturday morning. Their post on the social media platform explained that the Canadian ship the M/V Michipicoten had collided with something underwater about 35 miles southwest of Isle Royale on Lake Superior around 6:53 am on Saturday.
Since this initial message, references to the incident have simply referred to the ship taking on water, or flooding, with no additional details about if/what the ship may have collided with as first reported.
The Michipicoten is a 689-foot bulk carrier the Coast Guard says had a crew of 22 people on board during the incident. Here's a video of the Michipicoten in the Duluth Harbor, just to give you an idea of what ship it is that was involved in the incident.
In a subsequent update from the USCG, they explained that the Michipicoten's onboard water pumps were being used to displace some of the water entering the ship and that none of the ship's taconite had spilled. In addition, the bulk carrier Edwin H. Gott was en route to the location of the Michipicoten.
The Coast Guard says half of the ship's crew was removed from the Michipicoten as a measure of safety, with the remaining crew working to get the ship safely to Thunder Bay.
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The Coast Guard says the bulk carrier Edwin H. Gott remained alongside the Michipicoten for a time, and U.S. Coast Guard, Border Patrol, and National Park Service vessels were actively involved in evacuating some of the crew and beginning the process of getting the Michipicoten to port.
As of 1 pm on Saturday, the Michipicoten has been getting escorted to Thunder Bay by the Canadian Coast Guard vessel Cape Chaillon and the Edwin H. Gott had resumed its course toward Two Harbors. The Michipicoten is reportedly maintaining a traveling speed of just over 9 knots according to Marine Traffic.
At 1:00 pm, the Chaillon and Michipicoten were near Pie Island, about 10 nautical miles away from Thunder Bay.
By 3:00 pm, the Michipicoten had reached the bay out in front of Thunder Bay, safely reaching the Port of Thunder Bay by 5:00 pm under her own power, with an escort.
The Coast Guard says the cause of the flooding and any other damage to the vessel will be the subject of investigation.
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Gallery Credit: Scott Clow
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