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After being released from the ice on frozen Lake Erie, a freighter is seen moving

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After being released from the ice on frozen Lake Erie, a freighter is seen moving

Buffalo, New York – After being released from ice that had confined it in a frozen Lake Erie for days, a ship was headed to Canada on Sunday, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

After dropping off a supply of wheat in Buffalo, New York, and returning to Canada, the Manitoulin, a 663-foot (202-meter) Canadian ship carrying 17 passengers, became trapped in the ice on Lake Erie on Wednesday, according to the Coast Guard. On Saturday, it was released.

According to officials, the crew is safe and the ship was not damaged. In the winter, freighters frequently encounter surface ice in the Great Lakes, but occasionally they encounter ice that is too thick or hard to penetrate.

Officials said a second U.S. Coast Guard icebreaking vessel came on Saturday to assist in freeing the freighter, which had been helping the Manitoulin since Thursday. A ship from the Canadian Coast Guard also contributed to the endeavor.

According to Coast Guard Lt. Kyle Rivera, the three ice icebreakers escorted the freighter through over 20 miles (32 kilometers) of ice from Buffalo westward across Lake Erie until it reached free water on Saturday night.

Rivera told The Associated Press on Sunday that the freighter must traverse the remainder of Lake Erie before heading up the Detroit and St. Clair rivers to Sarnia, Ontario, where it will spend the remainder of the winter.

“We have another cutter that will take it through there, but there is ice through other parts of the lake and the rivers,” he stated.

In the area, a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter was flying to keep an eye on the situation. In the event that the Manitoulin remained stranded, a third U.S. Coast Guard vessel was expected to arrive Monday.

 

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