Canadian Coast Guard Frees Trapped Freighter on Lake Erie

The Canadian Coast Guard has freed the 26,500 gross ton bulk service MV Arthur M. Anderson from heavy ice on the southern shore of Lake Erie close to Conneaut Harbor.

After a failed try to succeed in the vessel final week by the USCGC Bristol Bay, the Canadian Coast Guard’s 234-foot multi-mission medium icebreaker CCGS Griffon was known as on to free the ship from the ice.

An replace Sunday posted to Twitter by Fisheries and Oceans Canada mentioned that the Anderson had been freed and the vessel was transferring with help from the CCGS Griffon. A later replace mentioned the freighter was being escorted by the Griffin and the CCGS Samuel Risley on Lake Erie.

According to media experiences, the frieghter was free of the ice at about 8:30 p.m. on Saturday.

The MV Arthur M. Anderson was enroute to Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin for its winter layup when it grew to become beset by ice close to Ashtabula, Ohio final week.

The USCGC Bristol Bay reported 8 to 10 toes of ice in areas and brash ice as much as 5 to six toes thick because it tried to succeed in the vessel. After making sluggish progress in direction of the freighter, the Bristol Bay was working low on meals and gasoline so the Griffin was known as in to escort the U.S. Coast Guard ship again to Cleveland earlier than returning to free the Anderson.

“The U.S. and Canada have a strong ice-breaking partnership,” mentioned Rear Adm. Fred Midgette, commander Coast Guard ninth District. “Both countries coordinate closely to respond to these extreme ice conditions across the Great Lakes. Our goal is to get the commercial traffic moving and keep it moving, so we will keep working to achieve that goal.”

The MV Arthur M. Anderson is known for being the final ship to keep up a correspondence with the SS Edmund Fitzgerald earlier than it sank.