New report states Michipicoten taking on water was caused by structural failure, not collision

Michipicoten update 061124

New information has been released about what caused the Michipicoten to begin taking on water this past weekend on Lake Superior.

The Michipicoten, a nearly 700-foot-long ship, began to take on water Saturday morning, requiring assistance from the United States Coast Guard to help navigate the ship to a port in Thunder Bay, Ontario as it took on water.

Now with the ship safely docked, Coast Guard investigators report they didn’t find any evidence of a collision, as was previously reported. They now believe the incident began due to a structural failure.

This reported failure caused a nearly 13-foot-long, quarter inch-wide crack to form at the front of the ship, which likely led to the vessel taking on water.

The Michipicoten is currently undergoing repairs and evaluation.