The grounded 629-foot freighter U.S. Calumet has been moved by tugboats and traffic is flowing freely on the St. Mary’s River again said the U.S. Coast Guard on Sunday.
Vessel Traffic Management Specialist US Coast Guard Ken Curry said that at 7:51 p.m. on Friday the vessel was freed and after U.S. army Corps inspected the water for rocks or other obstructions, traffic began moving at 9:30 p.m. that day.
It took almost 36 hours for the backed up river traffic — “over 30 ships” — to pass, and at 9:30 a.m. today traffic was normal said Curry.
The freighter was moved by tugboats Missouri and Indiana of Great Lake Towing.
The Calumet was brought to an anchorage in Lake Nicolet for further inspection.
The Calumet ran aground on the north side of Sugar Island around midnight on Wednesday.
No injuries or pollution were reported.
Curry said the crew of the Calumet stayed on board the ship during the operation.
While it was grounded, the St. Marys River was closed to commercial boats from the Soo Locks to 6 Mile Point said a US Coast Guard press release.
“This is rare,” said Curry. “It shuts down the flow of commerce. It has large impact but they cleared it up and got traffic moving as quick as possible.”