US and Canadian coast guard crews freed two ships stuck in the ice on the St Marys River near Sault Ste Marie, Michigan, on Thursday, December 28.

The Walter J. McCarthy Jr and the Edgar B. Speer were caught in the ice near the Soos Lock, creating a backup of ships waiting to use the lock, a news report said. The St. Marys River links Lake Huron and Lake Superior.

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Biscayne Bay and Canadian Coast Guard Ship Samuel Risley broke the ice in the area, freeing the two ships by Thursday afternoon.

This video shows the Biscayne Bay cutting through the ice near one of the ships that was waiting for the channel to be cleared. Credit: Facebook/Gerald Guimond via Storyful