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Marine Atlantic ferry freed after being stuck in thick ice off Cape Breton

The MV Highlanders was stuck in thick ice off the coast of Cape Breton on Tuesday. Twitter: Marine Atlantic

After being stuck in thick ice for hours, the MV Highlanders was freed Tuesday evening.

The vessel became stuck about 300 metres from open water after leaving North Sydney around noon on Tuesday.

Marine Atlantic did call the Canadian Coast Guard to see if there was any assistance they could provide however, there were no ice breakers in the area at the time.

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Another Marine Atlantic ferry, the MV Blue Puttees, was headed to North Sydney from Port aux Basques the same day and helped to cut a path for the ship.

The Highlanders was successfully freed around 8:30 p.m and arrived in Port aux Basques early Wednesday morning.

Darrell Mercer, spokesperson for Marine Atlantic, says they are expecting the incident to cause scheduling delays and are encouraging customers to visit their website for more information.

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Mercer says the coast guard has now dispatched an ice breaker to the area in case it is required.

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