Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - The lake freighter "Manitoulin" found itself stuck in the growing Lake Erie ice field off Buffalo after attempting to leave following a delivery to the Buffalo waterfront Wednesday.
The 662-foot freighter ended up jammed in the ice, and ended up calling for assistance from the U.S. Coast Guard.
According to Coast Guard officials, at 11:43 a.m. on Wednesday, Coast Guard Sector Eastern Great Lakes received notification from the Detroit Ice Desk regarding the Manitoulin, which became beset by ice outside of the Buffalo River break wall in Lake Erie.
A Coast Guard icebreaker tug, the "Bristol Bay", then set off for the Buffalo end of the lake to break the ice and free the Manitoulin to allow it to get on it's way to a destination in Canada. The Bristol Bay left Erie, Pa. at 7:50 a.m. on Thursday, and arrived in Buffalo just after 3:20 p.m.
The Manitoulin, which had likely just dropped off a shipment of grain, was immobilized by thick ice, which the Coast Guard says is a common occurrence during this time of year, given the ice thickness in the region and fluctuating temperatures ranging from -1 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit.
There were no concerns regarding the safety or well-being of the vessel and crew members throughout the duration of the Manitoulin's time stuck. The crew aboard the Manitoulin confirmed that not only were they in good health, but also that the vessel had adequate fuel, provisions, and operational electricity.
In just a matter of days, ice cover on Lake Erie has grown exponentially.
"With this blast of arctic air, we have seen ice cover exponentially increasing over the last couple of days," National Weather Service meteorologist Phillip Pandolfo tells WBEN. "We have gone from just under 40% a few days ago. We are up to 80% ice cover on Lake Erie."