Lightering Begins to Free Bulker Aground in St. Lawrence River

Efforts to lighten a bulker struck on the St. Lawrence River north of Montreal began on Friday morning, with the Canadian Coast Guard reporting it would take several hours before a refloating operation could be attempted. The bulker Federal Yamaska (37,153 dwt) grounded on Tuesday morning, August 12, and remained in position despite a previous effort to refloat the vessel.

Five tugs attempted on Wednesday to pull the 590-foot (180-meter) vessel free but were unsuccessful. The ship is to the south of the main shipping channel. The Canadian Coast Guard reported the vessel’s owner, Fednav, had submitted a new salvage plan that calls for the lightering operation. The vessel is loaded with sugar and was bound for Montreal.

The Canadian Coast Guard is standing by with anti-pollution capabilities. So far, they report no injuries or signs of pollution. They told CTV News that 3,200 tonnes of sugar will be offloaded. They are able to move approximately 400 tonnes per hour.

 

Tugs attempted to refloat the grounded bulker before they started the lightering operation (Canadian Coast Guard)

 

They were investigating the cause, but said on Tuesday they had been told that the vessel lost power and drifted into a position diagonal to the shipping lane. However, the lane remained open with restrictions.

Reports noted that the St. Lawrence River is at its lowest water level in 15 years. Canadian authorities acknowledged a lack of perception in southern Quebec for nearly a month, but said they do not believe that was the cause of the grounding. There are restrictions in place on the river between Quebec and Montreal, but the Coast Guard said the vessel complied with the rules regarding the loading of commercial vessels in this area of the river.

Another bulker went aground in a similar location in late December 2024. It, too, needed to be lightened before it could be refloated.