M/V H.M. Griffith; Lake Superior, Whitefish Point, Michigan

Lake Superior, Whitefish Point, Michigan | 1996-Jul-30

Initial Notification: On July 29, 1996, the M/V H.M. Griffith, owned and operated by Canada Steamship Lines, Montreal, Quebec, loaded 31,858 tons of coal from the Superior, Wisconsin Midwest Energy Terminal. The Griffith is a 730-foot, 31,600 dead-weight-ton, self-unloading bulk carrier. The Griffith also carried 300 metric tons of an IFO 60 (fuel oil #6), 71 metric tons of an IFO 30 (#2), and 12 metric tons of lube oil representing about 113,000 gallons of oil. At 1100, July 30, 1996, the Griffith was in Lake Superior about 20 miles northwest of Whitefish Bay bound for Nanticoke, Ontario, Canada when her Master contacted USCG MSO Sault Ste. Marie to report a fire in the #2 cargo hold, which is approximately 500 feet forward of the fuel tanks. For safety reasons the Master requested permission to jettison 500 tons of burning coal into Lake Superior in about 500 feet of water. After consulting with MSO Sault Ste. Marie, USCG District 9, and NOAA, the Griffith dumped 3,000 tons of coal into 50 to 600 feet of water. The coal was dumped while the vessel was underway so it can be assumed that all the coal was not dumped in one spot. USCG district 9. Keyword: none.