Salvage vessels arrive to free ship trapped in Arctic Canada…as long as weather cooperates
After more than two weeks under watch from the Canadian Coast Guard, a Dutch-flagged cargo ship stranded in the Northwest Passage is set for a rescue attempt, with two salvage vessels on scene to start work… if the Arctic conditions cooperate.
“Weather permitting, it is expected that the first part of the salvage operation will start over the course of this week with part of the cargo of Thamesborg being transshipped to one of the attending salvage vessels,” Managers Wagenborg said in a statement on Tuesday.
The cargo vessel Thamesborg, an ice class ship, ran aground in Franklin Strait, off Prince of Wales Island, on Sept. 6 while transporting carbon blocks from China to Baie-Comeau, Quebec.
All 16 people on board — 15 crew members and a Canadian ice pilot — were unharmed.
Although multiple ballast chambers were flooded, none of the fuel tanks or cargo holds were breached, and the vessel remains stable, with no pollution or damage to the environment.
The ship was running on low-sulphur marine gas oil, a cleaner-burning fuel that produces fewer pollutants than traditional heavy fuel oil long used by cargo vessels.
The company has put together a plan to refloat the ship and continues to work with the Canadian Coast Guard, Transport Canada, the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Ontario and salvage experts that were sent last week, Wagenborg said.
Weather wildcard
Conditions in the Northwest Passage typically allow shipping from approximately mid-July through late September, and sometimes October, depending on ice and weather conditions.
The company had hoped to start its salvage work earlier but said last week that bad weather the weekend of Sept 13-14 forced it to delay some operations.
With two salvage ships now on site, the company says the first phase of the operation could begin this week, starting with moving cargo off the grounded vessel.
A third salvage ship is also on its way to the site to assist with the next stages of the operation, the company said.
The Canadian Coast Guard Ship Des Groseilliers remains in the Franklin Strait and continues to conduct underwater robot inspections of the Thamesborg, Wagenborg said.
Investigation continuing
The company continues to investigate the cause of the accident.
Wagenborg has experience sending its vessels through the Northwest Passage going back to at least 2016. The Thamesborg has also previously successfully transited the route.
The company says the route through Arctic Canada saves the company 14 shipping days compared to going through the Panama Canal.
Comments, tips or story ideas? Contact Eilís at eilis.quinn(at)cbc.ca
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Thamesborg grounding update: Salvage experts en route; Arctic mapping context, Eye on the Arctic
Norway: Hybrid-powered electric cruise ship navigates Northwest Passage, CBC News
Russia: Beijing and Moscow tune in for more Arctic shipping, The Independent Barents Observer
United States: U.S. Coast Guard monitors Chinese ships in Arctic waters…again, Eye on the Arctic
