This is a story that SooLeader continues to follow from our initial report Thursday.
SooLeader spoke to Lt. Phillip Gurtler at the USCG Sector Northern Great Lakes and was given the following update on the American Mariner freighter anchored in the St. Marys River near the Mud Lake Junction Aid.
"The American Mariner was cleared to start its move just after 3 p.m. to a place to anchor down for additional inspection. It will arrive there by 4:30 p.m. Location will not be announced to the public. It is on its own power with a tugboat behind it in case it needs assistance. The Mud Lake Junction Aid is back to being functional. Once the American Mariner clears the channel and is anchored down, all shipping traffic can resume."
Earlier in the day, the Coast Guard provided this update:
"The American Mariner is still anchored at the same spot just north of the Mud Lake Junction Aid. It is currently in a stable position. The USCG does have people on board investigating more into damage, etc but still have observed no pollution. The American Mariner has submitted their plan on how they want to move forward and the USCG will be reviewing that plan before they can take any action," Snyder said.
When asked about the timeline of all this getting resolved and shipping traffic moving again, Snyder said that he cannot speculate on any timeline as safety is most important to the crews and the environment.
As of noon, there were five freighters anchored in DeTour passage waiting to head upbound, and nine downbound in the river system north of Neebish Island to Whitefish Bay waiting for the river to open back up.
