Baffin Fisheries’ new ship stranded in Athens after engine fails on maiden voyage

Inuksuk II docked in Greece for maintenance more than 2 weeks after engine failure

Crew members on board Baffin Fisheries’ Inuksuk II — the largest Canadian-owned fishing vessel — have spent two weeks in Athens, Greece after an engine failure stalled the fishing vessel’s first voyage. The company provided this picture when the vessel was launched nearly a year ago. (Photo courtesy of Baffin Fisheries)

By Nehaa Bimal

Crew members aboard Baffin Fisheries’ Inuksuk II have spent more than 14 days docked in Athens, Greece after an engine failure stalled the fishing vessel on its first voyage.

“We are very disappointed. This was entirely unexpected,” Baffin Fisheries CEO Chris Flanagan said in an interview.

“We knew there would be some break-in period and glitches with a brand-new vessel. There always are and that’s expected. But we didn’t expect anything like this to happen.”

In October 2021, Baffin Fisheries announced its purchase of the $72.5-million, 80-metre stern trawler, which it said was the largest Canadian-owned fishing vessel.

The new addition to the fleet was to replace an aging vessel as a safer, more cost-efficient option.

Earlier this month the Inuksuk II was bound for St. John’s, N.L., from Tersan Shipyard in Turkey, where it was constructed. Thirty-six hours into the journey, on Oct. 15, the ship’s main engine started shutting down.

“A tugboat was dispatched to tow and assist the vessel to the closest port in Athens, Greece,” said K​​avavow Mikijuk, president of Baffin Fisheries.

While the main engine was repaired in an Athens shipyard, one of the vessel’s auxiliary engines was still malfunctioning.

The ship’s warranty covers engine failure, so it was decided the Inuksuk II would return to its manufacturer in Turkey to be fixed, Flanagan said.

There are 15 crew members currently living on board the vessel in the two weeks it has been docked in Greece, since accommodations are still in working order. Most are Baffin Fisheries employees, along with representatives from Tersan Shipyard.

“The crew weren’t in danger,” Flanagan said. “It was urgent, but not an emergency. It was an unfortunate, bad news situation but the vessel is sound otherwise.”

The plan was for Inuksuk II to test its fishing gear and pick up fishing crew and food technicians while in St. John’s for a fishing expedition near Baffin Island.

The vessel’s eventual destination was to be Iqaluit for a “christening ceremony” attended by the company’s board members, Flanagan said.

The journey had been expected to last 17 days; now, the timing of the ceremony will be dependent on ice conditions.

 

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(11) Comments:

  1. Posted by Old Salt on

    Who inspected the ship before Baffin Fisheries took posession?
    If two engines have already failed, as stated in this article, what other surprises are waiting to be discovered?

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    • Posted by Mit on

      Bought a lemon lol probably had a arctic college students inspected it 🤣

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  2. Posted by the point is on

    Wonder if they are enjoying great Greek sea food.

    Even though it is still come on, on a new engine?

    • Posted by Been there, done that on

      Greek seafood is great, though most of it comes from the North Sea

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  3. Posted by Northern Inuit on

    Did they buy it off Athens Sell Swap without inspecting it?

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  4. Posted by New/Used on

    New or Used will have issues or have results of recalls regardless of New Engine/Engines,
    Technology will never be the same as older engine’s, future have changed ,

    No reports from the elected affiliates either of the 5 community representatives ,

    Chairman and others had traveled to release taking ownership,

    This business is kept quiet today who are the elected officials,

    Questions and Answers needed,

    Will Qavavow travel to each shareholders community to report!,

    Anyone know who are the Board members reporting to the full board and membership!.

    Stalled New

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  5. Posted by Danny Diddler on

    We are perhaps a little overdue in discussing how small communities with next to no educated or skilled people available are miraculously supposed to oversee multi-million dollar enterprises without it turning into a fiasco and a quiet orgy of mismanagement and petty corruption.
    The same people who claim to be overseeing this shop are nowhere to be found when things go sideways and are most probably incapable as well as unwilling to address the public on the issues anyways.

    • Posted by You dont. on

      Well that’s easy. Like every other big NU company or company servicing a mine its not Inuit… Hence why the ship was on route to pick up its crew from Newfoundland before it came back to NU.

  6. Posted by Chris on

    So long Chris Flanagan. Same to you Rick Lambe. This is what hiring incompetent people gets you.

  7. Posted by Lar on

    Nothing will happen to Chris or Rick, the “President” or the “Chair” of Baffin. The Baffin board, the puppets of senior management, do not have the information nor the guts to make informed, hard decisions

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