Damaged cargo ship anchors in Thunder Bay after

A 72-year-old Great Lakes freighter has safely anchored in Thunder Bay, Ontario, following flooding in Lake Superior.

At around 7 a.m. Saturday morning, the Canadian-registered vessel Michipicoten struck an underwater object in U.S. waters about 35 miles south of Isle Royale and began taking on water, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

The vessel, owned and operated by Canada-based Lower Lakes Towing, was transporting taconite from the United States to Canada at the time of the incident.

The flooding caused the 209-meter-long self-unloading bulk carrier to list 15 degrees, which later reduced to 5 degrees when the ship’s pumps started to displace the water on board, the Coast Guard said.

Another Great Lakes freighter, the Edwin H. Gott, came alongside to assist, and ships from the U.S. Coast Guard, Border Patrol and National Park Service also responded.

Although no injuries were reported, the U.S. Coast Guard coordinated with a National Park Service boat from Isle Royale to rescue 11 of the Michipicoten’s 22 crew members.

The stricken bulk carrier was subsequently escorted to its anchorage in Thunder Bay, where officials will investigate the cause of the flooding and any further damage to the vessel.