Completing a journey from China to Canada’s St. Lawrence Port of Baie Comeau that has taken more than two months instead of three to four weeks, the Dutch-flagged freighter Thamesborg has arrived very close to its destination.
“The ship is now at anchor in the Baie des Anglais at Baie Comeau and is scheduled to dock at the port facilities on October 28,” Harbour Master Martin Roy indicated to Maritime Magazine.
Operated by the Wagenborg shipping line, the vessel was carrying carbon blocks from China destined for the Port of Baie Comeau, but ran aground in the Franklin Strait along the Northwest Passage.
The Canadian Coast Guard received notification of the incident on Sept. 6. There was no injuries or pollution. None of the 16 crew members were injured.
The CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier went on the scene with its Fast Rescue Craft and helicopter. And the CCGS Jean Goodwill completed a hull inspection.
“The vessel MV Thamesborg has flooded in multiple ballast tanks.” the CCG reported in its report at the time. “There is no flooding in any of its fuel tanks or its cargo hold.”
The vessel was successfully refloated on October 8. A complex salvage operation involved the transfer of parts of the ship’s cargo to two assisting vessels, Nunalikand Silver Copenhagen.
Subsequently the Thamesborg, escorted by the icebreaker Botnica and the tugboat Beverly M 1, made its way through Baffin Bay and Davis Strait before entering the St. Lawrence River.
“Wagenborg report that its general cargo vessel MV Thamesborg has safely arrived in the port of Baie Comeau, Canada where it will start unloading its remaining cargo. Following discharge operations, the vessel will be undergoing repairs at a shipyard to be determined,” the shipping line stated.
“The exact cause of the grounding is subject of an investigation which is conducted in full cooperation with the Canadian authorities, including the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB),” Wagenborg added.
Much of the Canadian Arctic remains unmapped. Some observers consider the ship may have made contact with an underwater shoal located outside an established channel in Franklin Strait, a complex navigational area in the Canadian Arctic.
(Photo by Martin Roy)