Cargo Ship Incident Closes St. Mary’s River Channel, Michigan

The St. Mary’s River channel was shut down after a 497-foot cargo vessel, Harvest Spirit, ran aground due to a mechanical malfunction on January 12.

The grounding happened Sunday afternoon as the ship was navigating downstream. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the vessel became stuck around 5:00 PM local time, near the Neebish Island Ferry Dock in Michigan. During the incident, the ship lost an anchor while experiencing mechanical issues.

At the time of the grounding, Harvest Spirit was en route from Thunder Bay to Windsor, carrying a load of canola oil.

The vessel managed to free itself after regaining power. Later that evening, around 9:00 PM, the tugboat Wilfred M. Cohen arrived and escorted the ship to an anchorage area in Mud Lake.

Fortunately, there have been no reports of injuries or environmental damage. As of January 13, efforts were underway to recover the anchor lost during the incident.