The 199 meter long ro-ro passenger/cargo vessel Highlander became stuck in ice in the Cabot Strait. The Highlander was en route to Port aux Basques from North Sydney with 190 passengers when it got stuck in thick ice. The vessel requested assistance with the Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker Louis St. Laurent arriving a short time later. The icebreaker was able to break a path through the ice and both vessels proceeded to Port aux Basques. No reports of injuries, damage or pollution released.
On February 18, the 106 foot long tugboat Maryland and its barge became stuck in ice on the Hudson River off West Point, New York. The Maryland was proceeding to Newburgh pushing a barge loaded with 850,000 gallons of heating oil when it became trapped in ice. The Maryland requested assistance with the Coast Guard cutters Line and Willow responding along with the nearby tug Jason Reinauer. The cutters arrived and broke-up the surrounding ice, but could not approach the Maryland too close due to their size. The smaller Jason Reinauer was able to approach closer to the Maryland and was able to break the tug and barge free. No reports of injuries, damage or pollution released.
The 234 meter long self-unloading bulk carrier Arthur M. Anderson became stuck in ice on Lake Erie off Conneaut, Ohio. The Arthur M. Anderson had been trapped in ice that was 5 to 10 feet thick just outside the harbor as the vessel attempted to return to its winter layup in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.
Photo: Canadian Coast Guard
The 140 foot long United States Coast Guard Cutter Bristol Bay was beset by ice nearby. The Bristol Bay was outside Ashtabula attempting to reach Cleveland to refuel and provision the cutter before heading to help the Anderson. However, the cutter spent several days battling the ice and found itself running low on food. A helicopter was dispatched to drop food to the cutter.
Photo: Canadian Coast Guard
The 234 foot long Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker Griffon was requested to assist both vessels. Stationed in Prescott, Ontario, the Griffon was asked to proceed to help free the Bristol Bay and clear a path to Cleveland. Afterwards, the Griffon was to continue to break a path to Conneaut to free the Arthur M. Anderson.
