Video: Laker Goes Aground in Michigan River Creating Local Attraction
Efforts were underway at nightfall this evening in an attempt to refloat a Great Lakes freighter that went aground causing a local tourist attraction along the St. Clair River in Michigan. TV cameras and residents were in a park along the river watching as the 636-foot American Courage remained firmly stuck in the river.
Reports started coming in early this morning, November 7, that one of the Lakers had stranded although they said there were no injuries or signs of pollution. The U.S. Coast Guard for the Great Lakes region said it was notified of the incident at 7:21 a.m. and they issued a marine safety broadcast telling other vessels to use caution in the area around Marine City, Michigan. They, however, reported that the river remained open for shipping as the vessel was outside the shipping channel.
The U.S.-flagged American Courage, owned by Grand River Navigation, had departed Stoneport on Lake Huron and was approaching its destination, the Marine City Terminal this morning. It is north of Detroit and Lake Saint Clair, between Lake Erie and Huron.
A Coast Guard spokesperson told WWJ Newsradio that they believed the vessel “missed their turn and got stuck on the edge of the shipping channel.” The Coast Guard reports the vessel is loaded with 20,000 tons of stone and that they were looking for a tugboat while working with the vessel’s owners on a plan to refloat the freighter.
Residents wrote on social media that they saw a small boat circling the self-discharging bulker early this morning likely looking for damage or pollution. One tug was alongside the vessel for most of the day, and by this evening two additional tugs had arrived. Photos on social media showed the tugs straining this evening in an effort to pull the vessel free.
The USCG said a full investigation will be undertaken to determine why the vessel grounded. After it is refloated, it will be inspected for damage.
Video: CMA CGM Containership “Breaches” Swimming Club’s SF Bay Event
A San Francisco area swim club had a little extra excitement on its seventh and final “Swimming for Alcatraz,” event over the weekend when one of CMA CGM’s large containerships crossed their course coming very close to the swimmers. The U.S. Coast Guard is reportedly investigating what caused the uncomfortable close incident which was caught on video by TV station KRON.
The event’s organizer, Odyssey Open Water Swimming, bills the two-mile swim from Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay to the St. Francis Yacht Club in the city as “the ultimate Bay Area open water swim.” The group has been organizing events in the area for a decade, reporting on its website “well over 500 successful swims with thousands of swimmers.”
The group’s registration page shows that 81 people had signed up for the Saturday, November 4 event with participants being told to meet at 6:45 a.m. The swim was due to start one to two hours later and be over by 10:45 a.m.
“Swimming from Alcatraz is one of the most famous, desirable, and enjoyable open water swims (wild swim) in the entire world. Despite lore that swimming from Alcatraz is dangerous, for experienced swimmers with proper support, swimming from Alcatraz can be safe and fun,” the group writes on its website.
They reported to KRON that the course had been cleared by the U.S. Coast Guard and they had a permit issued almost a year ago for Saturday’s swim, the seventh they conducted this year from Alcatraz.
Looming in the last of the morning fog on the bay, one of CMA CGM’s containerships can be seen moving through the bay with the swimmers and their support boats/escorts nearby.
“Our support team, paddlers, and swimmers acted very quickly to react to the unexpected breach to the course,” Warren Wallace, a local athlete and swim coach who organized the group told the TV station.
In the video, one swimmer appears to be very close to the bow of the unidentified containership. CMA CGM runs 150,000 dwt vessels with a capacity of over 13,000 TEU in and out of the container port at Oakland, California.
“Large commercial vessels merging into our planned path is not a normal occurrence,” Wallace told KRON, “and we are anxiously awaiting information on why this occurred.”
The Odyssey group warns on the sign-up page that this event is for “relatively strong swimmers.” They report that no one was injured during Saturday’s swim and all participants were checked by the team when they reached San Francisco.
Video: Cargo Barge Breaks Free and Drifts into Seattle Waterfront
The quick-thinking captain of a Seattle water taxi is being credited with helping to advert a potentially more damaging situation midday today on Elliott Bay when a cargo barge broke free in the harbor. The Fire Department, the Coast Guard, and city agencies were responding to the emergency with reports that they ordered parts of the waterfront including several buildings and the Seattle Aquarium evacuated. A spokesperson for the Aquarium told the newspaper that with the barge diverted they were able to remain open.
According to information from the local government agency King County Metro, Captain Dan Krehbiel was crossing the harbor toward Pier 50 at around 1:00 p.m. when crewmembers alerted him to a cargo barge. He observed that the barge appeared to be floating free without a tug and so the captain moved his water taxi into position.
He was able to reposition the barge which appeared to be fully loaded over 200 containers as well as cars and other vehicles. The barge was diverted from its path toward the Aquarium and ended up making contact further north along the waterfront near a small marina and Pier 66.
On social media residents reported making calls to the local police and the fire department after they saw the barge drifting across the harbor. They also observed the efforts of the water taxi.
The U.S. Coast Guard reports it notified at 1:25 p.m. of the situation with the barge. They determined that it broke free from Terminal 18, one of the Port of Seattle’s container facilities. Three tugs including one seen in the pictures from Foss Marine were finally able to corral the wayward barge and bring it to Terminal 115.
The Coast Guard was checking the waterfront for damage reporting that there appears to be some damage in the area of Pier 66 when the barge made contact. However, due to the fast actions of everyone involved, no one was injured and there are no reports of pollution. The cargo remained aboard the barge.
Seattle was experiencing high winds with weather reports of gusts of over 20 mph. Pictures show a strong chop on Elliott Bay.
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