THUNDER BAY — Escorted by a tugboat, and with a temporary patch over a breach in its hull, the Great Lakes bulk carrier Michipicoten left Thunder Bay Thursday morning bound for an American shipyard.
The vessel had been tied up at Keefer Terminal since June 8 when its hull suddenly ruptured in U.S. waters on Lake Superior, southwest of Isle Royale.
A narrow crack nearly four metres long allowed water to infiltrate, causing a 15-degree list until bilge pumps reversed the flooding.
The ship's owner, Lower Lakes Towing of Port Dover, Ont., has not commented on the incident, nor has it disclosed its plans for the Michipicoten.
Thunder Bay photographer Michael Hull said the vessel left for Fraser Shipyards in Superior, Wisconsin shortly after 6:00 a.m., accompanied by the tug Glenada from Thunder Bay Tug Services.
Its cargo of taconite pellets was removed last weekend and transferred to another Lower Lakes Towing vessel.
