Crews Recover Sunken Vessel from Michigan’s Pere Marquette Lake

In a recent salvage effort near Ludington, Michigan, an underwater boat had been pulled off the bottom of Pere Marquette Lake. While the operation itself was incident-free in returning the vessel to its surface, the operation was far from incident-free as it ended up causing a serious environmental concern in the shape of an inadvertent leak of oil or gasoline.

When Monday morning crews lifted the sunken ship from the bottom of the lake, they detected a sheen of oil at the surface, officials said. It didn’t take long to determine that oil or fuel was leaking from the boat. More than the crew had available with them at the time to use with the absorption material they were carrying.

Having realized the seriousness of the situation, the crew wasted no time and notified the U.S. Coast Guard. In a matter of minutes, a containment boom made of oil was delivered and utilized. The boom was highly effective in absorbing and containing the leak, successfully preventing the fluid from spreading across the lake and continuing to impact the environment.

Protecting the environment was of utmost priority during the entire operation. The Ludington Police Department mentioned that safety measures such as the containment boom are the usual procedure in operations of this nature, particularly when there is a potential for dangerous materials spilling into the environment. Luckily, their quick response and collaboration with the Coast Guard meant that the accident was contained.

The source of the leak – the suspected broken vessel itself was found and pulled out of the water, lessening the likelihood of further leakage. Officials decided to leave the oil containment boom in position for a couple more days as a precautionary step. This will enable any additional fuel or oil that could still be leaking to be absorbed prior to when it would be capable of inflicting any damage on the nearby waters or wildlife.

Interestingly, the entire recovery process was sponsored by the City of Ludington. City officials later stated that they intend to seek full reimbursement from the ship’s owner to pay for the salvage and environmental protection efforts.

Incidents such as these demonstrate the fine line between human use and environmental management. One boat, submerged and out of mind, can destroy a whole lake ecosystem if mishandled. Fortunately, in this instance, swift action and coordination between local government and federal assets kept matters at bay.

While the image of the water’s surface oil could have caused one to suspect at first sight, the smooth manner in which it was retrieved on this mission is a testament to the professionalism and preparedness of the crews. It is also a call to remember that environmental safety must be proactive, particularly concerning things unseen beneath the surface.