(KAHNAWAKE, Quebec) — A cargo ship that ran aground Thursday south of Montreal, blocking shipping traffic on the St. Lawrence Seaway, was freed by tugboats Saturday morning.
The 453-foot Heemskerkgracht, registered in the Netherlands, lost power and ran aground near the entrance to the South Shore Canal at 6:35 p.m. Thursday. The tugs Ocean Pierre Julien and Ocean Intrepide assisted to refloat the ship.
“It’s a remarkable success,” said Jean Aubry-Morin, spokesman for the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. The refloating operation, which began at about 8 a.m., lasted only 11 minutes. “Thanks to the assistance of (the) tugs, the boat was floating freely in the South Shore Canal. They did an impeccable job.”
The ship was bound for Spain with a load of scrap steel when it ran aground. There were no injuries and no pollution, Aubry-Morin said, and the ship did not take on water.
On Friday afternoon, six ships were at anchor waiting for the ship to be moved. Aubry-Morin said he expected that number to rise to 14 by the time the vessel was refloated.
Heemskerkgracht later docked in Sainte-Catherine, Quebec, for an inspection “to precisely identify the cause of this incident and ensure repairs are made so the boat is intact and ready to sail, and that it is able to continue its journey on the St. Lawrence,” Aubry-Morin said.
“I have to praise the crew and the captain because they did everything they could to lose speed and minimize the situation,” he said.
