Michipicoten Hull Failure Unlikely to Affect Algoma Steel Production
A massive crack was discovered in the hull of the Michipicoten, which limped into Thunder Bay over the weekend after water began pouring into it on Lake Superior.
During an underwater inspection at Keefer Terminal, where the vessel is now tied up, divers found a 13-foot-long crack.
U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson Lorne Thomas stated that the rupture is located at “the turn of the bilge, where the side shell turns to the bottom plate. The 13-foot-long crack detected by the divers clearly indicates a hull failure.
Thomas stated that a loud bang reported by the ship’s crew while the vessel was in deep water likely occurred at the time of the hull failure.
“It looks like a hull failure, which could be the result of stress, fatigue, age of the vessel,” he said, but cautioned that a full investigation is needed to determine the cause for certain.
“The investigation will look at the entire transit from where the vessel originated its voyage, and to see if there’s a possibility that another event, like striking a submerged object, or running aground, initiated that hull failure which eventually completely failed out in the middle of Lake Superior.”
He added “there’s no indication” at present that the ship struck something first, but that Canadian and US authorities will certainly look at that possibility.
“We won’t definitively know if an event preceded the hull failure until the investigation is complete, and a big part of that is gonna be when the vessel gets up on dry dock, they offload the cargo, de-water the vessel, and take a good look at the damage.”
Initially, Thomas said, Transport Canada and the U.S. Coast Guard considered conducting separate investigations, but they are now discussing a joint probe with Canadian officials taking the lead.
The Michipicoten had loaded iron ore pellets for Algoma Steel at Two Harbors, Minnesota, and was en route to Sault Ste. Marie when the incident occurred on Saturday morning.
At one point, the vessel was listing by 15 degrees before pumps managed to alleviate the flooding.
Half of the 22-person crew was evacuated from the 698-foot vessel, but it was successfully escorted into Thunder Bay harbour and docked at Keefer Terminal.
