Cargo Ship Blacks Out and Becomes Wedged Across St. Lawrence Seaway

A Dutch general cargo ship outbound from Canada blacked out Thursday evening in one of the channels of the St. Lawrence Seaway south of Montreal, Canada. The vessel is currently wedged at a 45-degree angle across the waterway blocking navigation.

The vessel, Heemskerkgracht (12,672 dwt) is registered in the Netherlands and is approximately 453 feet (138 meters) in length. It loaded scrap metal and departed Sainte Catherine, Canada bound for Huelva, Spain. According to various media reports, the vessel was attempting a turn and navigation in the seaway when its power blacked out stopping the engine at around 1840 local time Thursday, August 22.

Seaway officials told the local media the vessel first made contact with the south shore as the crew attempted to navigate and they also dropped an anchor. Residents reported hearing a scraping noise before the vessel veered into its position at a 45-degree angle to the channel and blocking all navigation on the busy waterway.

Local emergency services responded and reported that a visual survey showed no damage to the vessel or pollution. It does not appear to be wedged against the rocks but simply stuck in the mud. The crew was not reporting any water ingress while engineers were working to repair the power problems.

Two to three tugs were reported to be on standby from Montreal and a salvage master was traveling to the site. The current plan calls for the tugs to begin repositioning the vessel at first light on Saturday morning, August 24. They will move the vessel to a nearby dock for further inspection.

With the seaway blocked, officials were reporting on Friday six vessels had already become trapped. By the time they are able to clear the seaway on Saturday, it is expected that at least a dozen vessels will have been delayed. Officials were happy that there were no dangerous materials aboard but it is a busy time of the year for the seaway as agricultural products are outbound.

Update: Saturday morning, August 24, as planned two tugs, Océan Pierre Julien and Océan Intrépide, undertook the salvage operation. They were able to refloat and remove the vessel from the blocked channel. At midday, she was docked in Sainte Catherine, Canada for further inspection.