Investigation underway after boat collides with underwater object in Lake Superior and takes on water, U.S. Coast Guard says | Regional/National Headlines

(CNN) — According to the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. and Canadian authorities are investigating after a 209-meter-long vessel collided with an underwater object in Lake Superior and took on water.

The agency responded after the bulk carrier Michipicoten sent a report at 6:53 a.m. Saturday that it had experienced flooding while sailing southwest of Isle Royale in Lake Superior.

The merchant ship was transporting taconite, a low-grade iron ore, the Coast Guard said on X.

According to a press release, half of the 22-person crew were taken off the ship after the incident. No injuries were reported on the ship.

The ship has been anchored in Thunder Bay, Ontario, since Sunday and will be moved to a dock as soon as Canadian authorities deem it safe, said Lorne Thomas, chief of the Ninth Coast Guard District’s external relations section.

The U.S. Coast Guard and Transport Canada will conduct marine casualty investigations to determine whether the hull damage was caused by the vessel running aground, striking a fixed or floating object, hull failure or a combination of those causes, Thomas said.

There is no evidence that the shipping channels used by the ship were blocked, Thomas added.

According to MarineTraffic.com, the ship left Two Harbors, Minnesota, on Friday and was en route to Thunder Bay, Canada.

The-CNN-Wire

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