The first attempt to refloat the ship stranded on the St. Lawrence River since Christmas Eve was inconclusive. If the operation continues on Saturday, experts will instead explore other options for refloating the boat.
Posted at 10:10 a.m.
Updated at 11:26 a.m.
The first attempt to refloat the ship stranded on the St. Lawrence River since Christmas Eve was inconclusive. If the operation continues on Saturday, experts will instead explore other options for refloating the boat.
The MV ship MACCOA has been stationary on the St. Lawrence River for four days due to a widespread power outage of unknown cause. On board, a crew of around twenty people is still there.
“The operations [de vendredi]which continued until the evening, did not significantly improve the condition of the vessel to allow a refloating,” explained the spokesperson for Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Saturday morning, by email. “The shipowner and other experts will explore other options for unloading some of the cargo to facilitate the refloating of the ship,” she continued.
The decision not to continue with the refloating attempt was made late Friday evening.
The CCG had been informed of a widespread power outage on the vessel around 1:15 a.m. on the night of December 24. “According to the information received, there are no injuries on board, no damage to the hull of the ship and no pollution observed,” the organization assured. The ship, a bulk carrier 185 meters long and 24 meters wide, was heading to Waterford, Ireland, according to the global ship tracking intelligence site.
In the evening, generators, heating systems and other supplies were delivered to the crew. Shortly afterwards, electricity was restored on board. A CCG helicopter was also deployed to monitor the situation, but also to confirm the absence of pollution.
“The position of the stranded vessel has no impact on maritime traffic; however, a slow speed advisory for vessels passing nearby is in place in the area,” the organization concluded.
The days are piling up
On Wednesday, several experts boarded the ship to help develop a refloating plan. As the incident occurred in the middle of the holiday season, the operation is a little more complex, because the CCG specified that it had to combine the availability of the organization’s various partners able to remedy the situation.
On Thursday, Fisheries and Oceans Canada assured that the crew on board was still doing well, and that frequent aerial overflights still confirmed the absence of pollution.
On Friday, an officer from the Canadian Coast Guard’s Environmental Response and Marine Hazards team was on the ship trying to refloat the boat. Three tugboats from Groupe Océan also assisted in the efforts to refloat the boat. The operations were also monitored using drones and a helicopter.
With The Canadian Press
