833-foot Freighter Runs Aground in Lake Superior

Posted by Eric Haun

Tuesday, May 31, 2016, 9:01 AM

Two freighters transit upbound the Soo Locks past the safety zone established by the U.S. Coast Guard around the motor vessel Roger Blough near Gros Cap Reefs Light, May 30, 2016 in Lake Superior. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Christopher M. Yaw)

The U.S. Coast Guard informs it is continuing to monitor and respond to the 833-foot U.S. cargo vessel Roger Blough, which ran aground Friday afternoon on Gros Cap Reef in Whitefish Bay in Lake Superior.

 

The chance of a fuel spill is minimal and flooding on the vessel is stable, the Coast Guard said. The Roger Blough crew is said to be in good condition with no reported injuries.

 

Plans to free the grounded freighter continue to progress through the combined efforts of Canadian partners, company representatives and the U.S. Coast Guard. 

 

A vessel response plan has been activated to ensure environmental safety. The plan includes coordination with an oil spill response organization to deploy oil containment equipment as well as underwater dive surveys to more effectively assess the damage and unground the vessel.

 

A boom has been deployed around the ship’s stern, and in the area of the vessel's fuel tanks, as a precautionary measure.
Safety inspections are also being performed throughout the ship. Coast Guard crews have been conducting exterior draft readings of the vessel, while the crew of the Roger Blough continued interior soundings of the tanks to ensure flooding remains under control.

 

A Coast Guard Auxiliary aircrew conducted an overflight of the area late Sunday morning and reported no signs of pollution.

 

Coast Guard Cutter Mobile Bay is on scene to enforce a 500-yard safety zone around the grounded freighter. The zone and salvage operations continue to have little impact on vessel traffic transiting through the area, the Coast Guard said.

 

Representatives from the National Transportation Safety Board will assist the Coast Guard in investigating the cause of the grounding.

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  Roger Blough aground in the vicinity of Gros Cap Reef in Whitefish Bay, Lake Superior, May 28, 2016. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Samantha Coonan)
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  Lt. Gordon Gertiser, a marine inspector with U.S. Coast Guard Sector Sault Ste. Marie, inspects the engine room for possible damage aboard the motor vessel Roger Blough, May 30, 2016. Gertiser and his fellow crewmembers are inspecting the Blough after it ran aground on Gros Cap Reef in Lake Superior (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Creighton Chong)
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  Responders place a protective boom around the stern of the motor vessel Roger Blough (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Merridith Morrison)
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  Roger Blough sits grounded in the vicinity of Gros Cap Reefs Light in Whitefish Bay, Lake Superior, May 29, 2016, as seen from the deck of Coast Guard Cutter Mobile Bay. (U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy Coast Guard Cutter Mobile Bay)
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  The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Mobile Bay enforces a safety zone alongside the motor vessel Roger Blough, May 29, 2016, in Lake Superior. Crews have been working to salvage the Blough, which ran aground May 27, 2016. (U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy of Coast Guard Cutter Mobile Bay)
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  Roger Blough grounded in the vicinity of Gros Cap Reef in Whitefish Bay, Lake Superior (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Samantha Coonan)
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  Coast Guard Cutter Mobile Bay enforces a 500 yard safety zone around Roger Blough, May 30, 2016, in Lake Superior. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Creighton Chong)
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  The motor vessel Roger Blough sits grounded just off of Gros Cap Reefs Light in Whitefish Bay, Lake Superior, May 27, 2016. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Samantha Coonan)
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  (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Samantha Coonan)
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  (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Air Station Traverse City)