The Phoenix Sun, finally left Sorel-Tracy, Quebec, Saturday, after being stranded for two-and-a-half years in the down town port on the St. Lawrence River, north-east of Montreal.
It was thought to be the final chapter in a tale that began when Transport Canada deemed the vessel unworthy to sail in November 2012.
Following a popular petition to have the eyesore removed from the port, and a chapter that included a hungry crew of 12 men from Turkey who hadn’t been paid in two months, the people of Sorel-Tracy were celebrating when the ship left, bound first for Gibraltar, then for Dubai, where it was to undergo major repairs and be re-launched as the ‘Phoenix’.
The 186-metre sailed for 200 kilometres when the engine failed near Quebec City. “Good luck Régis!” the mayor of Sorel-Tracy, Serge Péloquin, wrote on his Facebook page, referring to Régis Labeaume, the mayor of Quebec City.
“Our famous Phoenix is broken and is currently being towed to the port of Quebec. A small gift from Serge to Régis.”
Once again, deemed unworthy to sail by Transport Canada, the ship, now on its third crew, this one from India, has been towed to a Quebec City dry-dock, where Transport Canada is overseeing the repair work.
The people of Sorel raised $10,000 to help the Turkish sailors return home last summer. No word yet on how the current crew is doing.
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