Laker Grounded in Ontario Becomes Local Tourist Attraction
While it can happen a few times a year along the busy shipping lanes of the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence, every time one of the big ships goes aground, it becomes a tourist attraction. The 740-foot laker Algoma Equinox was no exception, as it spent the night stuck in the river while the crew and teams from shore coordinated to free the big ship.
The vessel, which operates for Canada’s Algoma Central, entered service in 2013, with the company highlighting a new design for a region that often sees much older ships. At 39,400 dwt, the ship is a familiar sight on the waterways.
The vessel loaded grain at Cargill’s Sarnia Grain Terminal and was heading out around 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 21, from the north slip. It got a little way out when the ship went aground in a shallow area of the St. Clair River and became stuck.
The operator of Sarnia Harbor told the local newspaper, The Independent, he thought it was “the captain’s effort” for navigating too close to the shallow area. However, he also told Sarina News Today that they were looking at if weather and wind at the time were a contributing factor. He admitted there was a storm coming in around the time the vessel was departing.
Sightseers turned out, and it became all the buzz on social media (Mayor Mike Bradley)
Two tugs were dispatched, but they determined the stern was firmly stuck. Reports said the crew decided that they were going to have to lighten the stern by pumping ballast water into the forward tanks.
While the efforts were underway and they were looking to possibly bring in additional tugs from Windsor or other points on the river, sightseers flocked to the river. Sarina Mayor Mike Bradley told the local newspaper the ship had become a tourist attraction. “There are more people down there; it’s all over social media,” Bradley told the local newspaper. “It’s a curiosity, so I understand.”
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Bradley said there were two efforts earlier in the day on Wednesday, July 22, before the ship was finally freed around 2:30 p.m. local time. Two tugs aided the ship, which was also using its own power.
The Canadian Coast Guard said a survey showed no pollution and apparently no damage to the hull. The vessel was getting back underway, bound for Baie-Comeau, Quebec, with its cargo.
