SAULT STE. MARIE, MI (AP)-- Coast Guard investigators say a freighter was outside of marked shipping lanes in the St. Marys River last week when it struck a shoal and became stuck in the water.
MLive.com reports the Coast Guard is still trying to determine why the 603-foot shipping vessel was outside the lanes when it grounded early Wednesday in Potagannissing Bay about four miles east of De Tour Village.
The boat spent several days stuck on a shoal before offloading about 2,000 of its 17,000 tons of stone cargo onto a barge.
Officials say the ship suffered a surprising lack of physical damage during the grounding. Investigators determined no fuel, ballast water or other contaminants leaked into the water when the ship ran aground.