Cargo ship blocking canal near Kahnawà:ke tugged free

The Canadian coast guard dislodged a cargo ship that was stuck sideways on the South Shore canal after it experienced a mechanical failure, Friday morning.

The entire operation took about 20 minutes says Eric Esclamadon, deputy superintendent of the marine environmental response team with the Canadian Coast Guard.

The 138-meter Dutch vessel Heemskerkgracht is currently being towed to the Côte-Sainte-Catherine terminal where it will be inspected. 

The ship, carrying scrap metal, was turning on its axis on the canal along Lake Saint-Louis to go back up to Montreal when the boat's engine stopped working Thursday evening. The nose of the vessel then crept up the riverbank where the ship ended up getting stuck at a 45-degree angle.

Canadian coast guard teams had to inspect the ship. It also wanted to check for damage to the structure that could have lead to water flowing into the vessel or pollution  into the canal before the refloating process could begin, explains Esclamadon. 

"In certain circumstances, when a ship hits the coastline and runs aground, it can appear as though there's no pollution happening because the hole in the hull is sealed by sediments at the bottom," he says.

He says that at first glance no major damage was done to the canal structure itself, but that the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation will investigate that more thoroughly.  

The blockage brought maritime traffic through the canal to a halt forcing about 14 ships to be anchored while a resolution was underway. The flow of vessels through the canal will return to normal once the Heemskerkgracht reaches the terminal and clears the transit route, says Esclamadon.