23 Rescued From Grounded Ship
Environmental response for a grounded ship off Rose Blanche was well underway as of late Sunday.
On Monday, a spokesperson from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada stated that a change in wind direction moved the John I off the shoal on which it was grounded. The vessel remains at anchor, and the anchor is holding.
The MV John I was travelling from Spain to Montreal to pick up freight. However, on Friday morning, the 600-foot bulk carrier lost power and began drifting parallel to the shoreline on the southern coast of Newfoundland. At that time the vessel was not in danger and had hired a tug, reports The Telegram.
As winds shifted, the Canadian Coast Guard ship Earl Grey attempted several times to connect a tow line to the vessel to prevent it from running aground. The attempts were unsuccessful and the John I ran aground approximately 600 feet offshore on Saturday afternoon.
A Cormorant search and rescue helicopter took the 23-man crew off the stranded vessel.
The coast guard’s environmental response mobile command center, along with senior response officers and equipment, arrived in Rose Blanche Sunday evening.
A Transport Canada over-flight Sunday morning reported that no pollution had been seen. This supported reports from the Earl Grey, which also monitored the vessel.
The ship’s owners have initiated their agreement with the Eastern Canada Response Corp., which provides marine oil spill services and which was also on the scene with responders and equipment. The owners have also employed Svitzer to assess and salvage the vessel.
The hired tug, Ryan Leet, which had been delayed due to ice conditions, arrived Sunday morning.
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Canada’s Transportation Safety Board has launched an investigation into the grounding.
The MV John I is registered in Panama. The vessel is empty of freight, but is carrying diesel, lube oil and intermediate oil.