ShipSpotting.com Forum
Shipspotters all over the world => Shipping News and information => Topic started by: Magogman on May 28, 2016, 01:34:43 AM
-
May 27, 2016. The U.S. flagged Great Lakes bulker Roger Blough, imo 7222138, is aground on Gros Cap Reef in Whitefish Bay in the extreme east end of Lake Superior just west of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan/Ontario. The Coast Guard reports that the crew is safe but the ship is taking water. The Roger Blough was downbound with a load of taconite (processed iron ore). (There are 36 photos of the Blough on this site.)
Related, Great Lakes bulker Tim S. Dool lost all power yesterday about 60 miles west of the Blough's position and is being towed to Sault Ste. Marie for repairs. The crew has been able to get some of the ship's generators operating and powering some lights but its main engine is dead.
At 11pm EDST the Blough seems to be stable and is not in danger of sinking. Information is quite sketchy at this time.
-
Thanks for the informative post Magogman - I will check it out.
-
Update May 29, 2016, 9:36 pm EDST.
The Roger Blough continues to be aground in Lake Superior's Whitefish Bay 10 miles west of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan/Ontario.
Plans are being developed to free the Blough by lightering a portion of the taconite (iron ore pellets) and it will probably be another 48 hours before those efforts begin. Given the heavy nature of the taconite one can only guess how much will have to be removed.
The U.S. Coast Guard has taken control of the scene and will act as the lead agency during the effort to free the Blough and Coast Guard approval of the plan is necessary.
Flooding has been controlled and limited primarily to ballast tanks so there has been no pollution entering Whitefish Bay from the Blough.
For updates and photos the best source is probably www.boatnerd.com, the primary web site for Great Lakes shipping. Click on "News" from the home page of the web site.
The Great Lakes bulker Time S. Dool, which lost power a few dozen miles west of the Blough has been repaired in Sault Ste, Marie and has continued its journey.
-
May 31, 2016 - another day has passed and the Roger Blough remains grounded. The only news of the day is that salvage divers have arrived and are making plans for a dive to inspect the damage to the Blough.
Otherwise lots of activity around the Blough by the Coast Guard, etc. but nothing is happening.
-
It looks like the Coast Guard have deployed some sort of bouy which has its own MMSI. Possibly tbis is part of a physical barrier, as in some sort of containment boom? AIS has been acting strange latey so it could have someting to do with that. There seems to be a lot of phantom vessels??
-
http://www.uscgnews.com/go/doctype/4007/117443/News-Releases
-
ROGER BLOUGH on shipspotting: http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=1994155
(http://www.shipspotting.com/photos/middle/5/5/1/1994155.jpg)
Regards Peter
-
(https://static.dvidshub.net/media/thumbs/photos/1605/2623794/450x300_q95.jpg)
The view of the situation. Photo credit Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher Yaw - Please note there are 5 images.
Source Link Below.
https://www.dvidshub.net/image/2623794/gros-cap-grounding-response-continues-lake-superior#.V07zhPkrLcs (https://www.dvidshub.net/image/2623794/gros-cap-grounding-response-continues-lake-superior#.V07zhPkrLcs)
-
DonJon-Smit http://www.donjon-smit.com/ salvage divers have completed their underwater survey of the Blough's hull and the salvage plan is being revised to reflect on-scene conditions.
Lightering operations are scheduled to begin by Friday, June 3, with the motor vessel Philip R. Clarke as seen below identified as the receiving vessel.
Photo Credit professional photographer and shipspotting.com photo administrator Sam Draye
-
Thursday, June 2, 2016.
Update on the Roger Blough grounding, Whitefish Bay, Lake Superior, 10 miles west of Sault Ste. Marie, Mich/Ontario.
The Great Lakes bulker Philip R. Clarkehas arrived scene of the grouding and is engaged in removing taconite pellets from the Roger Blough. I have not seen an estimate of how long this will take and a second bulker, the Arthur Anderson will assist the Clarke if needed (the Anderson is no stranger to Whitefish Bay as it was the ship that - after reaching safe haven- ventured back out into the gale to search for the Edmund Fitzgerald which sank with all hands some years ago.)
Underwater divers found that two ballast tanks on the Roger Blough had been gouged open. There was no damage to fuel tanks, etc and no pollution released into the pristine waters. Yes there was a containment net deployed around the Blough to contain any possible pollution from the grounding although none has occurred.
Somewhat amazingly weather has been mostly calm during the time that the Blough has been grounded. Study of AIS iimages show that the bow and part of the port side are right on the U.S.-Canadian border with the bulk of the ship in U.S. waters.
The Boatnerd site, www.boatnerd.com, has posted several photos of the grounding scene as well as providing updates.
-
Motor Vessel Roger refloated in Lake Superior - 6/4/2016 @ 10:45 am
See photos and info at link below.
http://www.uscgnews.com/go/doc/4007/2838382/ (http://www.uscgnews.com/go/doc/4007/2838382/)
-
Motor vessel Roger Blough safely anchored in Waiska Bay - 06/04/2016
http://www.uscgnews.com/go/doc/4007/2838402/ (http://www.uscgnews.com/go/doc/4007/2838402/)