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A cargo ship that ran aground near Kahnawake, causing no injuries but blocking traffic in the busy St. Lawrence Seaway, will probably be refloated Saturday morning, the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation said Friday.
The Heemskerkgracht, a 138-metre Dutch cargo ship bound for Spain with a load of scrap steel, lost power as it entered the South Shore Canal on Thursday evening after turning around in Lake Saint-Louis, said Jean Aubrey-Morin, vice-president of external relations at the St. Lawrence Seaway.
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The loss of its engine caused the ship to run aground, he said. There were no injuries and no pollution caused by the incident, and the ship has not taken on water.
“I have to praise the crew and the captain because they did everything they could to lose speed and minimize the situation,” Aubrey-Morin said. “The fact that they’re aground is not good, but they did a good manoeuvre.”
However, he said the ship is blocking traffic in the seaway, which is busy because of the ongoing railway lockout.
As of Friday afternoon, six ships were at anchor waiting for the Heemskerkgracht to be moved, and Aubrey-Morin said he expects that number will rise to 14 by the time the vessel is refloated.
A salvage master was expected to arrive on the scene Friday afternoon to develop a plan, and two tugboats were being dispatched from Montreal, he said, adding that he expects that plan to be executed Saturday at first light.
Aubrey-Morin said the seaway is working with the Canadian Coastguard, the Laurentian Pilotage Authority and authorities in Kahnawake to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.
Myriam Plante, a spokesperson for Fisheries and Oceans Canada, which oversees the Coast Guard, said there are no hazardous materials on board the ship and the hold is being checked regularly to make sure it remains dry.
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