An freighter was on the way to Canada on Sunday after being released from the ice that had stuck it in the frozen lake for days, the American coast guard said.
Le Manitoulin, a 663 -foot Canadian ship (202 meters) with 17 people on board, was stuck in the ice on Lake Erié on Wednesday after depositing a wheat load in Buffalo, in New York State, And returned to Canada. , said the Coast Guard. He was released on Saturday.
The ship has not been damaged and its crew is safe, officials said. Cargos navigating in large lakes often meet surface ice in winter, but sometimes collide with too hard or too thick ice to be able to pierce it.
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An American coast-up ice guard ship has been working since Thursday to help the Manitoulin, and on Saturday, officials announced that a second ship had arrived to help release the cargo. The Canadian Coast Guard also had a ship to help it in its efforts.
The freighter was escorted through almost 32 kilometers of ice from Buffalo until it reaches free water, according to Lieutenant Kyle Rivera de la Coastier.
The cargo cargo must travel the rest of Lake Érié, then go up the Detroit and Sainte-Claire rivers to Canada, where it will spend the rest of winter, Riverara at the Associated Press said on Sunday.
“There is ice in other parts of the lake and rivers, but we have another cutter that will pass it through,” he said.
A helicopter of the American coast guard was on site and made flights to monitor the situation. A third ship from the American Coast Guard was to arrive on Monday, in case the manitoulin remains blocked.
& Copy 2025 The Canadian Press
