MARINE CITY (WWJ) - Efforts to free a large freighter that became stuck in the St. Clair River on Tuesday morning took almost 12 hours before it was successfully refloated, officials said.
The United States Coast Guard announced the American Courage, a 617-foot lake freighter, was freed around 7 p.m. after help from towing vessels from Great Lakes Towing.
The large vessel, which was carrying 20,000 tons of stone, was scheduled to dock in Marine City between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 8, the USCG added.
No one on board the ship was injured and no pollution escaped into the St. Clair River during incident.
"The Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team Detroit will verify the proper position of all aids to navigation affected and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will conduct an underwater survey to verify channel depth and to determine if there are any impacts from the grounding," the USCG said.
A tipster alerted WWJ Newsradio 950 to the disabled vessel just after 7:40 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 7, near Marine City Park at 102 Pearl Street. The USCG confirmed with WWJ that they were alerted to the situation at about 7:21 a.m. and had been searching for a tug to help safely refloat the vessel.
The aground freighter was identified as the American Courage from Wilmington, Delaware and owned by Grand River Navigation.
The freighter was slated to to dock at the Marine City Terminal, but missed their turn and got stuck on the edge of the shipping channel, the Coast Guard said.
Where the American Courage ran aground did not block the channel and other ships could still move by it. On midday Tuesday, there was no reported damage that would cause pollution to leak the river at this time.
Although mariners could still sail through the river, a marine safety broadcast was issued to notify mariners to use caution while transiting the area.
A boat from the Coast Guard office in Port Huron was overseeing the situation. The USCG is currently conducting an investigation into how the freighter ran aground.
With such a great view from the park, the situation drew a crowd of curious area residents.
"I just seen it on the news," Sue Kulman told WWJ's Mike Campbell. "So, my kids that don't live in town anymore said, 'Go see it, Mom; check it out!'"
"It is cool. I mean, it's always a sight to see," she added. "You just want to make sure everyone's safe and they're good. But the Coast Guard's right down there and they seem to have control of the situation, so I think everybody's safe."
As seen through a Skyline webcam in Marine City, two workers in a small boat were seeing motoring around the ship earlier on Tuesday morning, possibly checking for any damage or leaks.
Around 8 a.m. a tug boat was seen assisting the freighter.
“We are working closely with Grand River Navigation, our port partners, and international, federal and state entities to ensure the safety of the waterway and the quick resolution of this incident,” said Lt. j.g. Adeeb Ahmad, Sector Detroit’s public affairs officer. “With no injuries or pollution reported, our plan is to refloat the American Courage and coordinate with partner services for assistance and safe navigation.”
It is likely the ship will dock to be surveyed before resuming its normal operations.
To report a person in distress or the need for search and rescue, contact the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Detroit Operations Center 24-hours a day at 313-568-9560.