Enbridge Recovers 15,000-Pound Anchor From Straits Of Mackinac

ST. IGNACE, MI — Enbridge Energy has retrieved a 15,000-pound anchor that became detached from a cable during a maintenance operation on an oil pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac, the company told The Associated Press Monday.

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy ordered the energy company to remove the anchor after it was dropped by a contractor during maintenance. A crane on a barge was used to lift the anchor to the surface, Enbridge spokesman Michael Barnes told The Associated Press. Pipeline operations weren’t affected, he said.

Enbridge Energy said in a statement Friday that the anchor offered no risk to the pipelines, the subject of scrutiny because of what a potential leak or spill could mean to the world's largest freshwater system.

See More: 15,000-Pound Anchor Dropped Near Line 5 Pipeline To Be Recovered

Enbridge's Line 5 crosses the bottom of the straits, a roughly 4-mile-long waterway connecting Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. The state said it was notified about the mishap — which involved a contractor — on Wednesday.

Enbridge has long wanted to build a tunnel in the water to house the pipeline. It has received a permit from Michigan to do so, but the next step involves getting approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, according to the AP.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ordered the Line 5 pipes closed by mid-May, a deadline the company ignored. A lawsuit is pending in federal court.

Information and reporting from The Associated Press contributed to this report.