Commercial shipping traffic began flowing again along the St. Mary's River in the eastern Upper Peninsula Friday evening, after being at a standstill for nearly two days. The hold up was the result of a vessel slamming into a light tower that helps guide ships through the waterway.
The 714-foot bulk carrier American Mariner crashed into the Mud Lake Junction Light early Thursday morning. Coast Guard officials said the ship's hull sustained damage, but it was difficult to determine just how much.
Lt. Phil Gurtler, a public affairs officer with the Coast Guard, said an underwater drone was deployed to analyze the ship's hull. He said this section of the St. Mary's River is known as Mud Lake for a reason.
"Unfortunately, that's part of the reason why it took such a long time to actually make those initial assessments is because the water is very dark, it's hard to actually see things," Gurtler told WCMU.
The Coast Guard says the ship was in an area of the Great Lakes that 7,000 ships pass through every year, transporting raw materials like iron ore. 90% of the iron ore used to make U.S. steel travels through the passage.
"It did transit under its own power," Gurtler said. "We did have a tug that was escorting it, you know, just in case. It is going to move to an actual port to conduct repairs."
No pollution was discharged into the water and no one was injured, according to the Coast Guard.
