ANOTHER ONE

Bulker Expected to be Stuck for Days After Grounding in St. Lawrence

Maccoa is reported to be sideways outside the navigation channel (Holly Crowe-Ortolani/Facebook)

Published Dec 25, 2024 1:09 PM by The Maritime Executive


A dry bulk carrier flagged in Cyprus is facing the prospect of being aground for a few days in Canada’s St. Lawrence River. There is no sign of pollution or water ingress, but the vessel is stuck outside the channel with a spokesperson for the Canadian Coast Guard telling the Montreal Gazette the plan to refloat the ship could be delayed by the Christmas holiday.

The Maccoa (30,898 dwt) departed Montreal at approximately 2300 on December 23 but only made it a short distance to the north on the river to the area of Ile Marie and Vercheres where it became stuck at around 0100 on December 24. The Canadian Coast Guard is reporting the vessel is “sideways outside the navigation channel.” It is not obstructing traffic on the river.

The circumstances of the incident were not reported, but local media is saying the vessel might have experienced a loss of power. There are no reports of injuries or pollution.

The Coast Guard told the Montreal Gazette that it is coordinating with the pilot authority, Transport Canada, and the vessel’s operators for a plan to free the ship. They said it could “take a few days” to finalize the plan.

The ship which is 607 feet (185 meters) in length appears to be riding high without a cargo. It was outbound for Waterford, Ireland. It is managed by Navarone of Greece.

It is not the first time the vessel has had navigation challenges on the St. Lawrence. In 2018, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada issued a report about another incident with the same ship. It was inbound loaded with 18,830 tonnes of salt rock in bulk. The Maccoa had departed Montreal bound for Johnstown, Ontario with a pilot aboard.

The Maccoa in the prior incident was near the Côte Sainte-Catherine Lock in the South Shore Channel of the St. Lawrence Seaway and a bridge crossing the canal failed to be lifted to create clearance. The pilot took a series of maneuvers attempting to slow the ship while staying in the channel. The ship’s bow thruster was not working, and it was moving to the right side of the channel. The pilot was eventually able to regain control but not before the vessel was presumed to have made bottom contact. A later survey reported no damage from touching bottom but the TSB was investigating why the bridge was slow to be raised and why the vessel lost control while attempting to slow in the river.

Earlier this month, another Laker was freed from the river south of Montreal after having been aground for more than three weeks. In that case, the Tim S. Dool required cranes to partially offload its cargo before tugs were able to pull it free and back into the shipping channel.