Ship stuck near Boblo Island in Detroit River
A cargo vessel that ran into difficulty in the Detroit River off Amherstburg remains stuck.
According to the Canadian Coast Guard, Harvest Spirit ran aground at about 6 a.m. on Wednesday after the vessel's engine failed due to a pump failure. The Coast Guard said the vessel was carrying a type of fuel known as furnace coke.
There's no reports of pollution or the ship taking on water. The Coast Guard said its environmental response team went to the site. Transport Canada will be monitoring the affected areas by aerial surveillance on Thursday.
The company that owns the vessel, McKeil Marine, is working on a salvage plan, according to the Coast Guard. Those plans will get underway after regulatory approval is received.
After the grounding, other vessels were told to use the Amherstburg Channel if they felt it was "safe," a spokesperson for the Coast Guard said in a statement.
The first vessel to cross, Gardno, was trying to avoid the Harvest Spirit when it hit bottom.
The vessel is "safely anchored" at Colchester Anchorage and is awaiting inspection and clearance, according to the coast guard.
There's currently a navigational warning in place for the area. While all nearby ships were told to anchor or make other plans until the issue is resolved, the Coast Guard said vessels wanting to move through the area will be cleared case-by-case.
