Federal Yamaska ship still stuck in Verchères

Authorities began unloading thousands of tonnes of sugar from a cargo vessel run aground in the St. Lawrence River near Montreal on Friday in an attempt to free the ship.

The Federal Yamaska became stuck near Verchères, Que., at around 5:45 a.m. Tuesday, following a complete loss of engines. A first attempt to refloat the 180-mere bulk carrier was unsuccessful.

The Canadian Coast Guard said the unloading operation will take several hours and is necessary before a new refloating attempt can be made. The ship is partially in the channel but other vessels are able to navigate around it.

Francis Lapointe, acting superintendent of environmental response and maritime hazards, said 3,200 tonnes of sugar have to be off-loaded onto two barges before an attempt to refloat. Crews are able to move about 400 tonnes per hour.

“The information that we received regarding the situation … is that it’s a bit more complicated than what was expected, but the vessel still has generator electricity, so the equipment on board is still functional and everything is in order,” Lapointe said.

In addition to members of the Coast Guard, the Maritime Response Corporation, the Eastern Canada Response Corporation (ECRC) is also on site in case there is pollution during the unloading operation.

The ship ran aground Tuesday morning in the Verchères area, opposite Bouchard Island.

According to the specialist website Vesselfinder, the Federal Yamaska is flying the flag of the Marshall Islands.

This is not the first time a ship has become stuck in this area. Last December, the Cypriot ship MV Maccoa also ran aground in Verchères.

The ship was freed only two weeks later.

The refloating operation can only be conducted during daylight hours to reduce the risk of complications, Lapointe said.

The ship will be taken to Montreal’s port for repairs, either on its own power or by tugboat.