Ship stuck in St. Lawrence River for two weeks has been refloated
Posted January 7, 2025 8:53 am.
Last Updated January 7, 2025 12:44 pm.
A ship that has been stuck in the St. Lawrence River northeast of Montreal since Christmas Eve was freed on Tuesday after refloating operations.
Authorities finished unloading the ship’s cargo of corn on Monday, and a second attempt to refloat the vessel began on Tuesday morning.
By early Tuesday afternoon., the ship was being escorted by tugs to Sorel, where it will eventually continue on its way to Europe.
The Cyprus-flagged MV Maccoa ran aground in the early hours of Dec. 24 near Verchères, Que., after a power failure.
A first attempt by the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) to free the 185-meter bulk carrier late last month using three tugboats ended in failure, and authorities then decided to lighten the vessel by unloading 3,000 metric tons of corn onto two barges.
The crew members have remained on board the ship, and no injuries have been reported.
The second refloating attempt was due to take place last week, but was postponed due to delays in the arrival of the two barges.
