Both ships are capable of hauling 5,000 tons of cargo and are commonly loaded with over 1,000,000 gallons of various liquids.

The Sidsel Knutsen makes frequent trips from Norway to the United States to pick up loads of biodiesel and deliver them to European ports.

A mail boat, J. W. Westcott II, capsized shortly after 0700 on an October morning as she was delivering a pilot to Sidsel Knutsen.

Westcott’s captain, Catherine Nasiatka, 48, and deckhand David Lewis, 50, were killed in the accident.

Two Canadian pilots who were aboard Westcott swam to safety in the fast-moving river that separates Detroit from Windsor, Ontario.