Cargo Ship Stuck for Weeks is Refloated in the St. Lawrence River

cargo ship aground in Canada — Cargo ship was aground for weeks in the St. Lawrence river, Canada (Canadian Coast Guard)

The Canadian Coast Guard confirmed that a small cargo ship that had been stuck for weeks in the St. Lawrence River has finally been refloated. The vessel, the Onego Otra (10,872 dwt), is currently undergoing inspections to determine if it sustained damage.

The ship had loaded a grain cargo and departed Montreal, Canada, on June 30, bound for New Orleans. The Coast Guard reports the vessel suffered a rudder problem and veered off course in the river near Ile Saint-Ours and Contrecoeur. The vessel was outside the shipping channel and firmly stuck.

Registered in Antigua and Barbuda, the ship is 146 meters (479 feet) in length. It is owned and operated by a German shipping company.

Initial efforts to refloat the vessel were unsuccessful, and the decision was made to begin offloading cargo. On July 12 and 13, 2,270 tons of cargo were offloaded using barges and a crane. However, an attempt on July 14 with three tugs was still unable to move the vessel.

Cargo had to be offloaded to a barge to free the vessel (Canadian Coast Guard)

A second round of lightening was completed last week, removing a further 2,400 tons of cargo from the ship. A new attempt to free the ship was underway on Sunday, July 26, and this time they were able to free the ship and put it back into the channel.

Two tugs escorted the cargo ship along the St. Lawrence River to Sorel. Divers were inspecting the hull, but the Coast Guard said there had been no signs of pollution or injuries to the crew. The ship remains in Sorel as of Tuesday afternoon.