Unloading the grounded vessel south of Montreal will take several days
Posted December 31, 2024 1:18 pm.
The cargo of corn from the vessel that ran aground on Christmas Eve in the St. Lawrence River near Verchères, on Montreal’s South Shore, will have to be unloaded before a new refloating attempt can be made.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada reported Tuesday that a plan to lighten the MV MACCOA has been finalized and reviewed by the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) and its partners.
The multi-day plan calls for the unloading of over 3,000 metric tons of corn cargo to enable the vessel to be refloated.
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Unloading is scheduled to start on Thursday and continue until Saturday, depending on weather conditions and the availability of Groupe Océan’s tugs, the ministry said. A second refloating attempt is planned for Sunday, Jan. 5.
Equipment mobilization was underway on Tuesday and should include two Groupe Océan barges, each with a capacity of 1,500 tonnes, to recover the corn.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada has indicated that the rain forecast for the next few days could complicate and slow down operations. Corn cannot be unloaded in the rain, and certain conditions must be met for it to remain edible, it said.
The Ministry stated that the condition of the vessel remained stable, that the crew of 20 was still on board, and that there was still no trace of pollution.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
