The Dutch cargo ship Thamesborg has now been grounded on a reef in Canada’s Northwest Passage for a month, after it ran aground on September 6th. Over the weekend, the icebreaker Botnica arrived to assist the rescue and salvage operation, just as sea ice is beginning to form again in the area.
The icebreaker, which sailed from Europe with a stop in Nuuk, Greenland, is the fourth vessel to be sent to the area as part of the salvage effort. Thamesborg was en route from Lianyungang, China, to Baie-Comeau in eastern Canada when it ran aground on a shallow bank in the ice-filled waters.
The Canadian tugboat Beverly M I arrived in the area on September 22nd along with the cargo ship Silver Copenhagen. Part of Thamesborg’s cargo has already been transferred to Silver Copenhagen, while a third ship, Nunalik, participated last week to help unload the remainder, writes gCaptain.
Icebreaker to Ensure Flexibility
The arrival of Botnica gives the rescue operation greater flexibility, as ice conditions in the Northwest Passage deteriorate rapidly in October. With a bollard pull of 117 tons, Botnica is far more powerful than the local tugboat and can thus assist if the ship needs to be towed out through ice-filled waters.
The shipping company Wagenborg, which owns Thamesborg, hopes to free the ship during the coming week, depending on the weather. According to the Canadian Ice Service, sea ice is already beginning to accumulate in the Barrow Strait, north of the accident site, which could make passage in that direction impossible.
As an alternative, the rescuers could attempt to pull Thamesborg eastward through the Fury and Hecla Strait towards Fox Basin – but here too, ice formation is beginning. The most realistic route may therefore be westward through the Amundsen Gulf towards Alaska and the Beaufort Sea, which is still ice-free.
The Northwest Passage traditionally closes for commercial shipping during October, depending on the ice extent. Last year, another Wagenborg ship, Avonborg, managed to complete an eastbound passage right up to the beginning of November – but this year, winter appears to be arriving earlier.
The salvage work at Thamesborg continues in a race against time – and against the ice.
-emte
