Cargo ship runs aground in sea channel near Kahnawake

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A cargo ship ran aground near Kahnawake, causing no casualties but blocking traffic in the busy St. Lawrence Seaway. may be The St. Lawrence Seaway Authority said Friday that the ship had been refloated Saturday morning.

HermskirchcanalJean Aubrey-Morin, vice president of external relations for the St. Lawrence Seaway, said a 138-meter-long Dutch cargo ship, carrying scrap steel to Spain, lost power Thursday evening while turning around in Lake St. Louis to enter the South Shore Canal.

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He said an engine failure caused the ship to run aground. There were no casualties or pollution caused by the accident. The ship did not take on any water.

“I have to give credit to the crew and the captain because they did everything they could to reduce speed and minimize the situation,” Aubrey-Morin said. “It’s not nice to run aground, but they maneuvered very skillfully.”

On Friday, August 23, 2024, the Dutch-flagged cargo ship Heemskerkgracht ran aground in the St. Lawrence Seaway at the Kahnawake Terminal. — As of Friday afternoon, six vessels were anchored near the coast waiting for the Heemskerkgracht to be removed. The St. Lawrence Seaway Authority expects that number to grow to 14 by Saturday, when the ship is refloated. Photo by Dave Sidaway /montreal gazette

He, however, said the ship was blocking the waterway, which was busy due to the ongoing railway suspension.

As of Friday afternoon, six vessels were moored at the pier, waiting for the Heemskerkgracht to be removed. Aubrey-Morin said he expected that number to rise to 14 by the time the ship is refloated.

He said the salvage captain was expected to arrive on site Friday afternoon to formulate a plan and two tugboats would depart from Montreal. He said the plan was expected to be implemented by dawn Saturday.

Aubrey-Morin said the waterway is being coordinated with the Coast Guard, Laurentian Pilotage and Kahnawake to fix this problem as soon as possible.

Miriam Plante, a spokeswoman for Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans, which oversees the Coast Guard, said there were no hazardous materials on board and that the cargo hold was checked regularly to ensure it remained dry.

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