Freighter Goes Aground 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.

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 twin risks of shallow water and ice, and 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.

The largest vessel ever to transit the passage was the 1969 voyage of the 115,000 dwt tanker SS Manhattan, with extensive icebreaker support. The vessel made the transit in ballast both ways, at less than her full laden draft of 52 feet. The effort was not successfully repeated due to ice.