Tugboats free grounded cargo ship blocking traffic in St. Lawrence Seaway

A stuck 138-metre cargo ship that had been blocking ship traffic in the St. Lawrence Seaway near Montreal has been freed. In this photograph made with a drone, the cargo ship Heemskerkgracht is seen as it blocks the St. Lawrence Seaway after running aground south of Montreal, in Kahnawake, Que., Friday, Aug. 23, 2024. (The Canadian Press/Christinne Muschi

A stuck 138-metre cargo ship that had been blocking traffic in the St. Lawrence Seaway near Montreal has been freed.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada says two tugboats successfully towed the Dutch ship Heemskerkgracht to safety earlier today.

The ship ran aground late Thursday in the Kahnawake area following an engine problem, forcing navigation to be suspended in the South Shore Canal.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada said the ship didn't appear to be leaking pollution and nobody was hurt.

A spokesman for the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation says ship traffic is resuming, but it could take up to three days to return to normal.

Jean Aubry-Morin says the blockage came at a bad time, when ships are needed to move goods more than ever due to a work stoppage on Canada's two biggest railways.

-This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 24, 2024.