Preparations are underway at Fraser Shipyards in Superior for the scrap tow of the Michipicoten to the Purvis Marine dock north of the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, in the near future.
Photos from Thursday show an attachment for a towing line welded to the bow of the laker. The ship is expected to become feedstock for Algoma Steel's new electric arc furnaces. Purvis recently finished scrapping another laker, the Mississagi.
The Michipicoten was damaged on June 8, 2024, while traveling near Isle Royale in Lake Superior. The crew reported a loud bang in deep water, and the vessel began taking on water, at one point listing 15 degrees before pumps reduced the list to five degrees.
The freighter Edwin H. Gott stayed with her until the U.S. Coast Guard arrived, and she reached Thunder Bay, Ontario, under her own power with U.S. and Canadian escorts. Divers there found a crack of nearly four meters, about 13 feet, in the hull, with metal fatigue considered the likely cause, and placed a temporary patch.
She arrived in Superior on June 20, 2024, escorted by the tug Helen H, for inspection and repair at Fraser Shipyards. Transport Canada never approved her return to service, and in 2026 she was acquired by Algoma Central Corp.
