Freighter freed after running aground in Detroit: Photos show ship stuck along US-Canada border

Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press
Updated ·2 min read
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The Mark W. Barker of the Interlake Steamship Company ran aground on Belle Isle in Detroit on Wednesday morning May 17, 2023.
The Mark W. Barker of the Interlake Steamship Company ran aground on Belle Isle in Detroit on Wednesday morning May 17, 2023.

DETROIT − A freighter longer than two football fields and carrying 21 tons of salt was freed Wednesday afternoon, several hours after running aground in the Detroit River near an island along the U.S.-Canada border.

The ship, the MV Mark W. Barker, ran aground not far from Belle Isle, a small island in between Detroit and Windsor, Canada, the U.S. Coast Guard's Detroit sector said. No injuries, pollution or damage was immediately reported.

"Working with the United States Coast Guard and with the assistance of a tug, the vessel was able back away from the bank and get underway," the ship's owner said at about 12:45 p.m., in statement it emailed to the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network. "The crew will continue to assess the vessel and work to determine the cause of the incident."

The river remained open to all boat traffic Wednesday morning and did not block boat traffic, the Coast Guard said.

A live stream appeared to show the MV Mark W. Barker being hauled away from a grassy area with a dock.

How did the ship get stuck?

"The cause of how it ran aground is still being determined," Coast Guard Lt. Cameo Ulbricht told the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network.

What to know about the MV Mark W. Barker, ship stuck in Detroit River

The MV Mark W. Barker, a 639-foot freighter built starting in August 2019, is the first large bulk carrier built on the Great Lakes and the first for use on the Great Lakes since 1981.

The ship, named after the company's current president, went on its first journey in July 2022, the USA TODAY Network's Detroit Free Press reported in September.

Previously from the Detroit Free Press: New M/V Mark W. Barker freighter is first of its kind built on Great Lakes

Watch live stream: Ship freed in Detroit River

Photos of the MV Mark W. Barker, before and after getting stuck

Contributing: Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press; Jay Cannon, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit ship freed after being stuck in Detroit River near Windsor