Hamilton-bound CWB Marquis freed after running aground

A Hamilton-bound ship that ran aground in the St. Lawrence Seaway near Beauharnois, Que., on Friday has been freed.

CWB Marquis was headed for ArcelorMittal Dofasco's plant in Hamilton, Ont., with a load of iron ore pellets when it ran aground early Friday.

The bulk carrier hit a large floe of ice about 35 kilometres south of Montreal, according to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.

Two tugboats spent about 30 minutes to free the vessel late Friday, according to a spokesman for Ocean, a marine services company.

The spokesman said the incident was minor and it was not difficult to free the vessel.

No immediate damage was observed, and the ship left under its own power.

The vessel was the first ship of the season to travel up the St. Lawrence Seaway. It was also carrying ArcelorMittal Dofasco's first shipment of the year.

It was originally scheduled to arrive in the Hamilton port around 2 p.m. Saturday. The expected arrival time has now been changed to 7 a.m. Monday, according to Hamilton Port Authority's vessel tracking data. 

According to the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp., the vessel is owned by CWB, the former Canadian Wheat Board.