Salvage ships arrive to begin unloading Thamesborg cargo
Dutch cargo ship ran aground Sept. 6 in Northwest Passage
The cargo ship Thamesborg sits grounded in the Franklin Strait in fog on Sept. 8. The ship has been stranded in the Northwest Passage for 17 days. (Photo courtesy of Canadian Coast Guard)
Two salvage vessels are now in the Franklin Strait where the cargo ship Thamesborg ran aground two and a half weeks ago.
Royal Wagenborg, the Dutch shipping company that owns Thamesborg, provided the update Monday.
Crews are preparing to begin unloading some cargo from the 172-metre-long ship, company spokesperson Richard Batema said in a followup email to Nunatsiaq News on Tuesday. He warned that salvage work is dependent on weather.
Winds in the area were forecast to reach 46 km/h Tuesday, bringing waves of one to two metres. The wind and waves were forecast to diminish overnight.
Thamesborg had been transporting a load of carbon blocks for industrial use from Asia to Baie Comeau, Que., when it ran aground Sept. 6 near a small group of islands on the eastern side of the strait.
No injuries were reported in the incident.
Once crews remove the cargo, the plan is to attempt to refloat the ship so it can be moved. This will be done under a plan that has been given to Transport Canada and the Canadian Coast Guard for approval.
Nunatsiaq News has contacted both departments to confirm they have given approval to start the salvage work but has not received a response. A coast guard ship remains in the area, providing assistance and conducting surveys using a remotely operated vehicle.
Thamesborg’s ballast tanks were damaged in the incident, but its fuel tank and cargo hold remain intact, the company said.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada confirmed last week it is investigating.
Hope they have a safe and successful recovery!
Certain size should be band from going through the north west passage
Even depending what it’s carrying
1- the whole Arctic is not charted properly on maps in some areas
2- the Arctic is not equipped for a clean up if a disaster were to occur
3- for safety reasons as this situation has happened and others meaning it has happened in different places of the Arctic from improper mapping