The 199-metre freighter 'Federal Rideau' was refloated by The Great Lakes Towing Company after the vessel went aground in Lake St Clair, Canada, in late July.
The vessel was carrying a cargo of wheat from Thunder Bay, Ontario to Montreal, Quebec.
Great Lakes' tugs 'Superior', 'Nebraska' and 'Mississippi' responded to the grounding at the request of its long-term customer, Fednav.
"We were working against the environment and the clock," commented Joseph Heaney, a tug captain in Detroit and Toledo who was the first to respond to the incident.
"When we got to the scene, we noticed that the boat was fighting the current, the wind was picking up, and there was a structure just a couple of metres away from the vessel that we had to stay clear of. It was a tough situation."
Heaney said it took the efforts of all crews of the company's tugs to successfully refloat the 'Federal Rideau'.
