BELLE ISLE (WWJ) - A tow boat came to the rescue and freed a large freighter that got stuck in the mud near Belle Isle on Wednesday morning, officials said.
And it's certainly not a sight you see everyday.
The U.S. Coast Guard said the roughly 640-foot-long bulk carrier Mark W. Barker was freed from after it ran aground on the Canadian side of Belle Isle after leaving Detroit around 7 a.m. on May 17.
The freighter, which the Coast Guard said was carrying 21,00o metric tons of salt, was slated to sail to Milwaukee, but the USCG said it somehow lost propulsion and got stuck in the mud.
There's no word yet on what caused the ship's propulsion system to fail, officials added. No injuries have been reported.
The ship will now anchor at Belle Isle as officials investigate into whether the hull sustained any damage.
Video of the ship can be seen on a live webcam feed on YouTube provided by the Dossin Great Lakes Museum.
Boaters were urged to steer clear of the area while crews worked to free the vessel.
According to the Interlake Steamship Company who owns the Mark W. Barker, the bulk carrier has only been in commission for a year after it went underway in Summer 2022.
In addition to being the first Great Lakes bulk carrier to be built on the Great Lakes in more than 35 years, it is also the first new build for Interlake since 1981.
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