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The owner of the commercial freighter Thamesborg, stuck in the Northwest Passage for the past month, says the ship has been refloated and is moving again.
Earlier on Thursday, online tracking data showed the ship had begun to move from the shoal in the Franklin Strait where it ran aground in early September.
On Monday, owner Wagenborg had said it would attempt to refloat the ship this week after offloading thousands of tons of cargo – industrial carbon blocks – to two other vessels.
In a statement, the company said the Thamesborg was successfully refloated at 6am local time on Thursday.
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“The vessel is stable and currently attended by salvage vessels and the Canadian Coast Guard vessel Des Groseilliers. There were no injuries to the crew and no pollution occurred during the refloating or the initial grounding on September 6,” the company stated.
“The complex refloating operation involved the transfer of over 5,000 tons of cargo to the assisting vessels Silver Copenhagen and Nunalik to reduce the vessel’s draft. Following this, the MSV Botnica arrived with specialist equipment, allowing for the controlled reduction of water in the Thamesborg’s damaged ballast tanks, enabling the successful operation.”
The ship is now heading to “a port of refuge,” Wagenborg stated, though which port that will be was not specified.
More: What should we learn from another Northwest Passage close call?
The Canadian Coast Guard has been approached for comment.
Wagenborg said the cause of the initial grounding remains under investigation.
