By Tanda Gmiter
tgmiter@mlive.com
SATURDAY MORNING UPDATE FROM U.S. COAST GUARD:
"At 4:31 a.m. this morning, water current freed the vessel Defiance and barge Ashtabula, a 720-foot integrated tug and barge, from the clay bottom in Round Island Passage in the Straits of Mackinac.
"The vessel has not reported any injuries, pollution, or flooding and is transiting to conduct further damage assessments. The Coast Guard conducted an overflight with a pollution responder on Friday evening and did not identify any signs of pollution. Another overflight is planned for this morning."
STRAITS OF MACKINAC, MI -
A tug-barge combination vessel ran aground in the Round Island Passage amid strong winds Friday afternoon, prompting the U.S. Coast Guard to create a safety zone around it to keep other ships away from it.
The vessel that ran aground is the 720-foot Defiance and barge Ashtabula. It got hung up just before 3 p.m. in the Straits of Mackinac, between Mackinac Island and Round Island.
"The vessel departed Cedarville, Michigan and was transiting to its next port of call in Buffington, Indiana when it ran aground. The cause of the grounding is under investigation," the Coast Guard said.
Coast Guard Sector Sault Ste. Marie is handling the response. No injuries, pollution or flooding have been reported.
The Defiance is carrying 97,918 gallons of diesel fuel and more than 2,900 tons of stone, the military said.
"The vessel is taking precautionary measures to assess any damage," the Coast Guard said.
The safety zone surrounding the ship prevents any vessel over 100 gross tons from going through the Round Island Passage. It also keeps any vessel from coming within 200 yards of the tug/barge combo.
Though built in Great Lakes shipyards in 1982, the tug and barge worked largely on a circuit between Tampa Bay and the Lower Mississippi River, according BoatNerd.com. They were created to work together as a self-unloading bulk carrier. The combo returned to Great Lakes routes in 2012.
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Tug with barge aground, Great Lakes
Erofey Schkvarkin News
September 22, 2018 7:18 am
Pusher tug DEFIANCE pushing 220-meter barge ASHTABULA, ran aground at around 1850 UTC Sep 21 in Mackinac Strait between Mackinac and Round islands, which is connecting Great Lakes Huron and Michigan, said Great Lakes and Seaway Shipping News.
Tug ran aground in stormy weather conditions, with wind gusting to 64 mph, added the edition. Tug departed Cedarville, Mich., and was transiting to its next port of call in Buffington, Ind., barge loaded with stone.
As of 0700 UTC Sep 22, tug and barge were still aground, no tugs spotted nearby, probably waiting weather improvement to start refloating. Coast Guard has established a safety zone prohibiting the transit of vessels over 100 gross tons through Round Island Passage and prohibiting all vessels from navigating within 200 yards of the Ashtabula/Defiance. No leak reported.
Pusher tug DEFIANCE, IMO 8109761, GT 871, built 1982, flag USA, manager GRAND RIVER NAVIGATION CO INC.
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The tug Defiance (US 646729) and barge Ashtabula (US 626730) were specifically designed to operate together as a self-unloading bulk carrier and have spent their entire career doing so. The pair were originally built for subsidiaries of Beker Industries of Greenwich, Connecticut. Beker Industries was a conglomerate primarily in the business of phosphate mining and distribution from mines near Tampa Bay in Florida. After a long career on the ocean, the pair have returned to the Lakes where they were built.
The barge was launched as hull 728 on April 22, 1982 by Bay Shipbuilding of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. It was christened . The namesake is assumed to be Erol Y. Beker, the founder and president of Beker Industries and Beker Phosphate Corporation.
The tug was constructed by the Marinette Marine Corporation of Marinette, Wisconsin and launched as construction number 8271. It was delivered to Sturgeon Bay one day after the barge was launched, on April 23, 1982. The tug was christened April T. Beker. The assumed namesake is April Beker, wife of Erol Y. Beker. The tug is equipped with a second elevated pilot house and is powered by two EMD 20 cylinder 645-E7B engines which produce a total of 7200 horsepower.