1,000-Foot Freighter Runs Aground In St. Mary's River

SAULT ST. MARIE (WWJ) - The Coast Guard responded to a 1,000-foot freighter that ran aground early Wednesday morning in the downbound channel of the St. Mary's River.

The vessel is on the west side of Neebish Island near Sault Ste. Marie in the area people call the "Rock Cut."

Petty Officer Levi Reed said the Coast Guard conducted a thorough inspection. "All reports were that there was no pollution and no

injuries to anyone on board," Reed said.

The vessel is carrying approximately 62,000 tons of coal and is blocking vessel traffic.

Coordinators at the Sector Sault Ste. Marie Command Center, Wednesday afternoon, were working closely with the vessel's owner representatives and the Coast Guard Marine Safety Center, and the Salvage Engineering Response Team to determine the safest approach to re-floating the vessel.

"The people that are working on this, they're our experts at salvage and also at responding to situations like this," said Reed. "So we have the right team out there working on the situation to clear up and get the vessel traffic going again and making sure that the vessel is re-floated in a safe manner."