The Great Lakes freighter Michipicoten was found to have a four-meter-long crack in its hull following a flooding incident on Lake Superior.
The Michipicoten, a 689-foot Canadian-flagged bulk carrier, experienced a severe incident on Lake Superior on the morning of June 8. While transporting 16 long tons of taconite from Two Harbors, Minnesota, to Thunder Bay, Ontario, the vessel began taking on water and issued a distress call at 7 a.m. Half of the 22-person crew was evacuated.
Despite the ship listing by 15 degrees initially, onboard pumps reduced the tilt to 5 degrees, enabling the Michipicoten to reach port under its own power, escorted by the Edwin H. Gott and U.S. Coast Guard vessels and aircraft.
An underwater inspection at Keefer Terminal in Thunder Bay revealed a four-meter-long crack in the hull, attributed to structural fatigue or failure, likely the cause of the water ingress. Crew members reported hearing a loud bang during the incident, suggesting the hull might have failed in deep water.
The U.S. Coast Guard and Transport Canada have launched a joint investigation to determine the exact cause, examining if the vessel struck a submerged object or ran aground, though no definitive evidence currently supports this theory.
Rand Logistics, the owner of the Michipicoten, has not commented on the incident. The 72-year-old vessel was built in 1973 and acquired by Rand Logistics in 2008. The investigation aims to thoroughly inspect the damage once the cargo is offloaded and the vessel is de-watered in dry dock.
Authorities emphasize that the precise cause of the hull failure will only be known after a detailed investigation, led by Canadian officials with U.S. cooperation. Despite the severity of the incident, no injuries were reported among the crew.
