Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Efforts to free the 662-foot lake freighter Manitoulin from the Lake Erie ice field off Buffalo will extend into the weekend at least.
The vessel, with a crew of 17 onboard, became stuck in the growing ice cover Wednesday upon departure from Buffalo after emptying its load of wheat and heading for Sarnia, Ontario.
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The U.S. Coast Guard dispatched the ice cutting vessel Bristol Bay to make its way to Buffalo and initial icebreaking operations were underway shortly after its arrival Thursday afternoon at 2 p.m. and continued through much of the day Friday before retiring for the day in the afternoon.
Weather conditions were greatly improved for the work for a time Friday, however some lake snow began to impact the eastern end of the lake Friday afternoon.
The Bristol Bay could be seen Friday morning moving slowly back and forth clearing a path, while the Manitoulin sits patiently in its stuck location just outside the Buffalo Harbor entrance.
The freighter is visible just the waterfront and Buffalo Skyway, and onlookers could be seen lined up along the Outer Harbor Thursday and Friday, hoping to see the ship become free and get on its way.
“We just haven’t had a bad winter in quite a while. So now that we’ve had one and people haven’t seen this for a bit, they’re like ‘what’s going on?’” said Paul Angelillo, a search and rescue specialist with the Coast Guard in Buffalo.
Photographer Peter Cimino has captured some amazing views of the ice-encrusted vessel.
Great Lakes freighters typically are able to navigate surface ice in the winter, but occasionally encounter ice that's too hard or thick to break through, he said.
The Manitoulin wasn't damaged and the captain and crew were safe, the Coast Guard said.