Grounded cargo ship successfully refloated in Canadian Arctic: company
A Dutch-flagged ship has successfully been refloated after being stranded in Canada’s Arctic archipelago for over five weeks.
“Wagenborg is pleased to confirm that its general cargo vessel MV Thamesborg has been successfully refloated from its position in the Franklin Strait off Prince of Wales Island, Canada, [Thursday] at approximately 6 a.m. local time,” Royal Wagenborg, the ship’s operator, said.
The ice-class ship grounded in Franklin Strait en route from China to Quebec with a load of carbon blocks on Sept. 6. None of the 16-person crew was hurt during the incident and there’s been no environmental damage or pollution reported.
In all, three ships were sent to the site to help with the salvage efforts: the Silver Copenhagen and Nunalik and the MSV Botnica. Various Canadian Coast Guard ships have also been rotated in and out of the site since the incident to oversee the efforts and conduct environmental monitoring.
Since last week, 5,000 tonnes of cargo has been transferred from the stranded ship to the assisting vessels to lighten the load before the attempted refloat.
The Estonian icebreaker MSV Botnica arrived at the site on October 3 with specialized equipment to pump water out of the ship’s flooded ballast tanks.
That operation was successful. Once the vessel is inspected and cleared by Canadian authorities, it will head to a port of refuge.
The company did not specify the location but on Friday afternoon, MartimeTraffic.com showed the boat heading towards CABCO, the port code for Baie-Comeau, with an expected arrival date of Oct. 24.
The cause of the accident is still unknown and is being investigated by Canadian authorities.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Safeguards in place, but still stranded: New details on efforts to free Thamesborg before freeze-up, Eye on the Arctic
Norway: Hybrid-powered electric cruise ship navigates Northwest Passage, CBC News
Russia: Governor inks deal with Chinese shipper, touts Murmansk as ‘Icy Silk Road’ hub, The Independent Barents Observer
United States: U.S. Coast Guard monitors Chinese ships in Arctic waters…again, Eye on the Arctic
