Firm will try to refloat Northwest Passage ship before ice arrives

With Arctic winter fast approaching, the owner of a commercial freighter grounded in the Northwest Passage for the past month says it’s confident the vessel will be refloated before freeze-up.

The Thamesborg, a ship owned by Dutch firm Wagenborg, has been grounded in the Franklin Strait since early September. The ship was travelling from China to Quebec when it hit a shoal off the coast of the Boothia Peninsula in Nunavut.

The crew on board are safe, there is no pollution resulting from the incident and the vessel is stable.

“We’ve been really fortunate,” Sue McLennan, director of response for the Canadian Coast Guard’s Arctic region, said in a Monday press conference.

Although the vessel’s fuel tanks and cargo holds are still intact, multiple ballast tanks were ruptured in the grounding. These tanks were empty before the grounding and are now filled with seawater according to David Solsbery, a spokesperson for Wagenborg.

A salvage plan submitted by the ship’s owner and salvage experts was recently approved by the Canadian Coast Guard and Transport Canada. Work to salvage the ship is under way.

So far, 4,000 tons of cargo have been transferred from the Thamesborg to two other ships on site, Solsbery said.

“This stage of the operation was needed to reduce the draft of the vessel for an upcoming refloating attempt,” he added.

Resources are available to further lighten the ship if needed.

Last week, the icebreaker MSV Botnica arrived on scene with the remaining equipment needed for a refloating operation. The plan is to attempt to refloat the ship by reducing the amount of ballast water in the damaged tanks.

Once refloated, the ship will be inspected and then head to a port of refuge – the location of which has yet to be confirmed, according to Solsbery. The plan is for the ship to move under its own power, but the Botnica is available to assist by escorting, towing or ice breaking if needed.

The refloating operation is scheduled for this week. Solsbery noted that completing the salvage operation depends on favourable weather and sea ice conditions.

It’s unclear if Mother Nature will cooperate.

Typically, according to the icebreaking design firm Aker Arctic, conditions allow for shipping in the Northwest Passage from around mid-July to October.

On Monday, weather forecasts for the site of the grounding called for wind with a risk of flurries. Tuesday’s forecast anticipated calmer weather but conditions are expected to deteriorate again later in the week.

“Unfortunately, it is storm season up across Nunavut,” said Jesse Wagar from the Meteorological Service of Canada.

There is currently no sea ice close to the ship, though some ice can be found about 80 to 90 nautical miles to the west (140 to 160 km) and a few icebergs are floating to the south of the grounding.

“Questions have been raised regarding the onset of winter and the impact if the ship is not refloated before ice forms,” Solsbery said, adding those concerns are at “the forefront of many of our minds.”

More: What should we learn from another Northwest Passage close call?

According to Solsbery, Wagenborg has contingency plans in place. Those include a second refloating attempt that would involve removing additional cargo.

The Botnica can also help with icebreaking and towing if needed, and the Thamesborg itself has an ice class 1A notation, which means it is capable of navigating difficult ice conditions.

“We as a company are confident that we will be refloating the Thamesborg and it will be in port well before ice forms to the degree that we would not be able to transport it,” Solsbery said.

The Canadian Coast Guard’s McLennan echoed Solsbery, saying she is optimistic the vessel will be refloated in time to travel out of Canadian Arctic waters.

Given the complexity of the situation, McLennan added operations on the Thamesborg are expected to continue for some time.

An investigation into the cause of the grounding is ongoing. Nonetheless, the incident has not put Wagenborg off travelling through Arctic waters.

With shipping in the Northwest Passage on the rise, Solsbery noted that Wagenborg sees itself as an industry leader.

Challenges are to be expected, he said, and the company is committed to continue learning and moving forward.