Two Vessels Arrive to Help Grounded Freighter in Northwest Passage

 

Two vessels have arrived at the site of the grounding of the Thamesborg in the Northwest Passage, the ultra-remote maze of narrows and inlets north of mainland Canada. 

The freighter Thamesborg was en route from China to Quebec when it grounded in Franklin Strait, just southeast of Prince of Wales Island. Though the vessel suffered hull damage and is immobilized, there has been no pollution due to the grounding, and the crew are all safe.

The icebreaking buoy tender Sir Wilfred Laurier was the first official response vessel on scene. An oceangoing tug, the Beverly M I, has joined the operation, along with the ice-class reefer ship Silver Copenhagen. The Copenhagen is uniquely suited to the task of lightering off Thamesborg's cargo: the vessel draws much less water, so it can get alongside the stricken bulker; and it can carry up to 4,000 tonnes at a time, enough to lighten the freighter for a refloat. 

Silver Copenhagen has attracted attention this year for its involvement in shipping Russian seafood from Murmansk to Norway. Russian fish products are not subject to sanctions in Europe, but given current levels of tension between Russia and the West, maritime trade in and out of the strategic Russian seaport receives extra scrutiny. Fleetmate Silver Dania was briefly detained in Tromso in January on the request of Latvian authorities, who suspected the ship of damaging a Baltic subsea cable during a previous voyage; the Dania was quickly released.

There are known risks in taking the Arctic route from Asia to North America's east coast. The Northwest Passage has hazardous shoals, poor hydrographic charting and seasonal ice, and the region is prone to clogging with drifting floes. Shifting ice conditions can force ships into deviating from their voyage plan, raising the risk of grounding.