Operator Plans Investigation into Grounding in Northwest Passage

 

A freighter has gone aground in the remote reaches of Canada's Northwest Passage, at a location in the southern half of the Central Canadian Archipelago. Operator Wagenborg has promised that there will be a full investigation into the causes of the casualty. 

“The fuel tanks of Thamesborg and its cargo holds are all intact. A first thorough assessment conducted by the crew of Thamesborg has shown damage to the hull and ballast tanks of the ship which is stable and aground,” the company told Canadian outlet Cabin Radio.  

According to local outlet Cabin Radio, the freighter Thamesborg was en route from China to Quebec when it grounded in Franklin Strait, just southeast of Prince of Wales Island. The central section of the Northwest Passage has two options - a northern route, often blocked by ice, and a southern route, which passes between Victoria Island and the mainland. Franklin Strait is one of the options for accessing this route. 

At 800 miles northeast of Yellowknife, Franklin Passage is exceptionally remote. A grounding in the distant waters of the Northwest Passage has been among the top concerns of Canadian SAR planners for years. Luckily, the operator of the Thamesborg reports that there has been no pollution due to the grounding, and the crew are all safe, according to Cabin Radio. 

AIS data provided by Pole Star Global shows that Thamesborg is aground on a shallow pinnacle on the southwest side of the strait. She is accompanied by two Canadian Coast Guard vessels, an unnamed CCG patrol vessel and the icebreaking buoy tender Sir Wilfred Laurier. Though intermittent cloud cover makes analysis difficult, satellite data from JPSS / RAMBB appears to show no ice in the area of the grounding. 

The Northwest Passage is known for the risks of shallow water, poor hydrographic charting, and ice, and the region is prone to clogging with drifting floes even during the short shipping season. Many transits (including modern cruises) are done in smaller, shallower-draft vessels.

Top image: Thamesborg (green) attended by two Canadian Coast Guard vessels (Pole Star Global)