The Canadian-flagged cargo ship ROBERT S PIERSON briefly ran aground in the Detroit River during the night Nov. 26, listing heavily to one side. The grounding was reportedly due to high winds that had been sweeping across all of North America's Great Lakes region overnight into that day, disrupting shipping.

The ship, which was built in 1974 and is currently owned by Rand Logistics, operates in local waters.asuring 630 feet long (about 190 meters), it was designed specifically to navigate the winding Kewaunee River.

The freighter loaded with 18,000 tons of stone in Windsor, Ontario, and was en route to Lorain, Ohio, according to CBC News. As the high winds, the ship attempted to drop anchor Wednesday night to wait out the storm. However, the vessel was dragged along the Detroit River by the strong winds. The ship grounded at about 0:30 p.m. local time, listing heavily to one side and stuck in the river not far from downtown Detroit.

The U.S. Coast Guard that they were notified of the incident around 1:15 a.m. on Nov. 27 and are currently discussing a salvage plan with the vessel's operators The Coast Guard issued a small craft advisory for high winds and waves in the Great Lakes region and reported that the eastern Welland Canal, which connects Lake Ontario and Lake Erie has been closed due to high winds, with plans to reopen in the afternoon of Nov. 27.

Media reports stated that two tugboats were assisting alongside theOBERT S PIERSON around noon. According to CBC News, the ship refloated at about noon local time and was moved to a dock for inspection. The Coast Guard stated low water levels were also a contributing factor in the grounding.

The incident marked the second grounding in the same area of the Detroit River in less than a month. early November, the Canadian vessel Rt. Hon. Paul J. Martin had also attempted to drop anchor to allow a sick crew member to be taken off. According to CBC News the ship was blown off course and ran aground as it attempted to set sail again. Low water levels were also considered a contributing factor in that incident. The following day, the successfully refloated with the assistance of four tugboats.