Update: M/V Roger Blough aground in Lake Superior

May 30th, 2016

Responders place protective boom around the stern of the motor vessel Roger Blough near Gros Cap Reefs Light in Lake Superior, May 30, 2016.  (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Lt. Cmdr. Merridith Morrison)

SAULT STE MARIE, Mich. — The Coast Guard continues to monitor and respond to the motor vessel Roger Blough, Monday, after the vessel ran aground Friday afternoon on Gros Cap Reef in Whitefish Bay in Lake Superior.

Plans continue to progress to safely free the Blough from Gros Cap Reef through the combined efforts of Canadian partners, company representatives, and the U.S. Coast Guard.

In conjunction with the Blough’s vessel response plan, boom has been deployed around the stern, in the area of the vessel’s fuel tanks, strictly as a precautionary measure to ensure the continued safety of the environment. Safety inspections also continued throughout the ship.

A Coast Guard Auxiliary aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City, Michigan, conducted an overflight of the area late Sunday morning and reported no signs of pollution.

Coast Guard Cutter Mobile Bay remains on scene to enforce the 500 yard safety zone around the Blough. The zone and salvage operations continue to have little impact on vessel traffic transiting through the area.

The chance of a fuel spill remains minimal and flooding on the Blough has continued to remain stable. The crew is in good condition and their needs are being tended to as they arise.