Ship stuck in St. Lawrence River near Montreal stalled for another day
20 crew members have been aboard the ship since Dec. 24
A ship that has been stuck in the St. Lawrence River northeast of Montreal since Christmas Eve will remain stalled until at least New Year's Day.
The Canadian Coast Guard said in a news statement on Sunday that operations to unload the grounded ship might start on Jan. 1, 2025, depending on weather conditions and the availability of tugboats.
It is expecting the owner of the ship to submit, by the end of the day, a plan to lighten the vessel's cargo.
The Cyprus-flagged 185-metre bulk carrier ran aground near Verchères, Que., in the early hours of Dec. 24 following a power failure.
Efforts to free the ship have been paused all weekend. Crews attempted to refloat the MV Maccoa on Friday, but the operations "did not significantly improve the vessel's condition to allow refloating," the coast guard said in a news statement on Saturday.
"The shipowner and other experts will explore other options, aiming to offload part of the cargo to facilitate refloating," the statement reads.
There were no injuries, no damage to the ship's hull, no pollution spotted in the water and the ship is not blocking marine traffic, according to the coast guard.
Authorities sent generators, heaters and supplies to the 20 crew members aboard the grounded vessel before its power was restored.
Earlier, the coast guard said it would use drones and possibly a helicopter to monitor Friday's refloating attempt, adding that a member of its marine environmental and hazards response team would be on board.