Photos: Cargo Ship Thamesborg Remains Grounded in Northwest Passage

cargo ship aground in Arctic — Thamesborg has been stranded in a remote part of the Canadian Arctic since September 6 (Photos courtesy of Canadian Coast Guard)

The Canadian Coast Guard and the owners of the cargo ship Thamesborg, Royal Wagenborg, provided updates reporting that after 10 days, the vessel remains stable and in no immediate danger. Resources are being assembled to refloat the 21,359 dwt vessel, which is carrying a cargo of carbon block.

The first salvage equipment, a salvage master, and a naval architect have reached the vessel, and a plan for refloating was submitted to the Canadian Coast Guard and Transport Canada, who said they are reviewing it. The cost of refloating the vessel and any remediation efforts undertaken by the Canadian Coast Guard will be the responsibility of the vessel’s owner.

Additional salvage equipment and staff are expected to reach the ship later in the week. Royal Wagenborg, however, notes that the efforts are subject to the weather, which delayed some operations last weekend.

The Canadian Coast Guard had dispatched its vessels CCGS Jean Goodwill and CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier to the site and used them to assist in transporting materials. Both vessels have been released, while CCGS Des Groseilliers is now on-scene to monitor and provide response support.

Thamesborg, which is 565 feet (172 meters) in length, was transiting from Asia to Baie Comeau, Canada, when it grounded in the Franklin Strait off Prince of Wales Island, Canada, on September 6. Surveys have confirmed the damage is limited to several of the vessel’s ballast tanks, with no water ingress into the cargo holds or fuel tanks.

Royal Wagenborg highlights that the vessel, which was built in 2012, was designed to meet Finnish/Swedish ice class 1A (IACS Polar Class 7), meaning it is suitable for summer and autumn operations in first-year ice. For the Arctic voyages, Royal Wagenborg said it hires external knowledge in the form of ice pilots, who are often former captains of icebreakers who are familiar with the local waters. They said the Canadian authorities “greatly appreciate that we strengthen our professional crew with extra local knowledge.”

The company became the first European shipping company in 2016 to traverse the entire North West Passage without the assistance of icebreakers. The company highlighted that it has made several transits of the waters, including Thamesborg previously sailed from Canada to China on the North West Passage.

Using this route, Royal Wagenborg reports is some 3,750 nautical miles shorter than sailing through the Panama Canal. It results in about 14 days less sailing time. They, however, acknowledged the challenges, noting the level of planning required and that ships encounter shallow water, islets, narrow waterways, strong currents in some passages, and routes close to the coast. They said hydrographic data is available, but that navigation aids such as buoys and beacons are very limited. Crews are reported to have to work off a combination of electronic and paper charts.