Freighter carrying wheat to Italy gets stuck in Detroit River

A bulk carrier that got stuck in the Detroit River on Monday morning will remain there overnight, the U.S. Coast Guard says.

The ship, Barbro G, is a 190-metre freighter carrying about 19,000 tonnes of wheat destined for Italy and ran around just after 7:30 a.m.

The U.S. Coast Guard is on the scene to assist.

"No pollution, damage, injuries, or impact to commercial traffic reported," the U.S. Coast Guard said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

After initially indicating plans to refloat the vessel by nightfall, the U.S. Coast Guard said around 6 p.m. that the vessel would be refloated starting at 8 a.m. Tuesday morning.

The ship is undamaged, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

Windsor Harbour Master Peter Berry says the ship is soft aground, which means it's stuck in mud rather than on rock or on a shoreline.

The mud on the bottom of the river is "much like a dark toothpaste" and it has a lot of suction, he says.

"U.S. Coast Guard is responsible for this operation and working with the ship owners. And hopefully it'll be cleared up shortly," he said.

Barbro G, a 190-metre freighter, got stuck in the Detroit River near Belle Isle on Monday morning. (CBC)

Berry says usually a few ships run aground every year in the river, despite substantial water levels in recent years.

He says high winds contribute to the issue by decreasing water levels.

"This time of year the water goes down and then the weather tends to move water around more than we realize."