Canadian freighter gets stuck in ice as more than 86% of Lake Erie freezes
A Canadian freighter carrying 17 people got stuck in thick ice on Lake Erie near Buffalo on Wednesday, January 22, 2025.
A Canadian freighter carrying 17 people became stuck in ice on Lake Erie while departing from Buffalo. The U.S. Coast Guard arrived on Thursday, January 23, using ice-breaking equipment to partially free the vessel.
According to U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Bridgette Baldwin, the ice on Lake Erie is thicker than normal. She stated, “local ice breakers and local Coast Guard vessels can’t break ice with that level of thickness.”
Great Lakes freighters typically can navigate surface ice in the winter but occasionally encounter ice that is too hard or thick to break through, Baldwin explained.
The Coast Guard confirmed that the Manitoulin was undamaged, and the captain and crew remained safe. A Coast Guard cutter began breaking up ice around the ship on Thursday afternoon.
The 202 m (663-foot) Manitoulin had delivered a load of wheat and was returning to Sarnia, Ontario, on Wednesday, January 22, when it became stuck in ice rapidly forming along Buffalo’s shoreline due to sub-zero temperatures.
Currently, over 86% of Lake Erie is frozen, significantly above the 1973 – 2024 average of 46%. The five Great Lakes combined have 26% ice coverage, slightly above the 1973 – 2024 average of 25%.
References:
1 Ship with 17 people on board gets trapped in ice on Lake Erie near Buffalo – CBS – January 24, 2025
Featured image credit: Peter J. Cimino
I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.
Yeah, like HOW does that happen? Don’t we have satellites that can measure the thickness of the ice? Or do ships just “wing it?” Strange.