US and Canadian officials are investigating after a 689-foot ship collided with an underwater object and began taking on water in Lake Superior, the US Coast Guard says.
The agency responded after the bulk carrier Michipicoten sent a report at 6:53 a.m. Saturday that it was experiencing flooding as it traveled southwest of Isle Royale in Lake Superior.
The merchant ship was carrying taconite, a low-grade iron ore, the Coast Guard said on X.
Half of the ship’s 22-person crew was removed from the vessel after the incident, according to a news release. No injuries were reported on the ship.
The ship is anchored in Thunder Bay, Ontario, as of Sunday and will be brought to a dock once Canadian agencies deem it safe to do so, said Lorne Thomas, external affairs division chief for the Ninth Coast Guard District.
The US Coast Guard and Transport Canada will conduct marine casualty investigations to determine if the hull damage was caused by the ship running aground, hitting a fixed or floating object, hull failure or a combination of these, according to Thomas.
There is no indication the navigable channels used by the vessel were obstructed, Thomas added.
The ship departed Two Harbors, Minnesota, on Friday and was headed to Thunder Bay in Canada, according to MarineTraffic.com.
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