Authorities change plan to free stranded vessel near Vercheres

A tugboat attempts to free the MV Maccoa, which ran aground on the St. Lawrence River near Verchères, Quebec, on Friday Dec. 27, 2024. The Canadian Coast Guard announced on Sunday morning that a change of strategy was underway to free the vessel. (The Canadian Press/Graham Hughes)

The Canadian Coast Guard announced on Sunday morning that a change of strategy was underway to salvage the vessel that ran aground on Christmas Eve in the St. Lawrence River, in the Verchères sector of the Montérégie region.

The refloating attempt launched on Friday did not work and a plan to evacuate at least part of the cargo is due to be finalised on Sunday by the ship's owner, says Kariane Charron, from the Canadian Coast Guard’s Quebec office.

An operation to free the Cyprus registered MV Maccoa was launched on Friday morning, involving three tugboats and an officer from the Canadian Coast Guard's Environmental Response and Marine Hazards team.

Eric Esclamadon, spokesperson for the Coast Guard, explained on Friday that plan A for refloating the vessel consisted of using the water jets produced by the tugboats' propellers to remove the sediment accumulated along the ship's side.

However, this attempt did not “significantly improve the condition of the vessel to allow it to be refloated,” said Charron on Saturday morning.

Plan B involves transferring the ship's cargo, loaded with corn, onto a barge so that the lighter weight will enable the ship to float again.

The ship ran aground on Dec. 24 due to a power failure, the cause of which is still unknown.

At the time, 20 crew members were on board. No one was hurt, the ship was not damaged, and no pollution was found nearby.

Generators, heaters, and other supplies were delivered to the ship on Christmas Eve. The crew restored power shortly afterward using the ship’s own generators.

The Coast Guard said the ship’s position is not blocking maritime traffic, but a speed reduction has been put in place for other vessels passing through the area.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French Dec. 29, 2024.