BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — A Canadian cargo ship with 17 people aboard got stuck in ice on Lake Erie while leaving Buffalo, according to the Coast Guard, which began freeing the ship Thursday. arrived with ice breakers for
The 663-foot Manitoulin was heading back to Sarnia, Ontario, Wednesday after unloading a load of wheat when it got stuck in ice that was rapidly forming in sub-zero temperatures off the Buffalo coast. It remained there until Thursday, creating a spectacular sight on the lake, surrounded by snow and ice.
“We haven’t had a bad winter in a long time. So now that we have one and people haven’t seen it for a while, they’re like, ‘What’s going on?’
Great Lakes freighters are usually able to navigate surface ice in the winter, but occasionally encounter ice that is too hard or too thick, he said.
The Manitoulin was not damaged and the captain and crew were safe, the Coast Guard said. Coast Guard cutters began breaking up the ice around the ship by Thursday afternoon.
