USCG responds to grounded bulk carrier in St. Marys River
The U.S. Coast Guard is responding to a 603-foot bulk carrier which ran aground in the St. Marys River near De Tour Village, Michigan, early Wednesday, the USCG said in a news release.
The motor vessel Mississagi, a Canadian-flagged bulk carrier with a load of stone, was transiting downbound the St. Marys River from Bruce Mines, Ontario, when it ran aground in the Potagannissing Bay approximately 4 miles northeast of De Tour Village. There are no reported injuries to the crew and no reported pollution.
At about 1:00 a.m., the master of the motor vessel Mississagi notified a watchstander at Coast Guard Sector Sault Ste Marie, Michigan, that the carrier was hard aground on shoal water in the vicinity of De Tour Village.
The Coast Guard responded with a 25-foot Response Boat-Small from Station Sault Ste Marie as well as a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium from Station St. Ignace, Michigan. At first light a helicopter crew from Air Station Traverse City, Michigan, aboard an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter flew over the vessel to confirm there was no pollution.
The bow of the vessel is aground and the fuel tanks are located near the stern of the vessel. Vessel navigation in the St. Marys River is currently unimpeded.
Coast Guard marine inspectors from Sector Sault Ste Marie will board the vessel to survey the damage. The crew of the motor vessel Mississagi is working with the Northeast Tech Salvage Company to create a salvage plan. The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Buckthorn is scheduled to conduct aids to navigation verification. The Coast Guard is also establishing a 500-yard safety zone around the vessel.
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's seven uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the U.S. military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission.