Dry Bulk Carrier Grounded in Canadian River

A dry bulk carrier flagged in Cyprus is currently grounded in Canada’s St. Lawrence River, with no signs of pollution or water ingress reported. The vessel, named the Maccoa, departed Montreal on December 23 but became stuck outside the navigation channel in the area of Ile Marie and Vercheres on December 24. The Canadian Coast Guard is working on a plan to refloat the ship, but this process may be delayed due to the Christmas holiday.

The Maccoa, with a deadweight tonnage of 30,898, is currently sideways outside the navigation channel, but it is not obstructing traffic on the river. The vessel, measuring 607 feet in length, was outbound for Waterford, Ireland, and is managed by Navarone of Greece. This is not the first time the Maccoa has faced navigation challenges on the St. Lawrence River, as a previous incident in 2018 involved the ship making bottom contact near the Côte Sainte-Catherine Lock.

Earlier this month, another vessel, the Tim S. Dool, was successfully freed from the river south of Montreal after being aground for over three weeks. In that case, cranes were used to partially offload the cargo before tugs were able to pull the ship free and back into the shipping channel. The Canadian Coast Guard is currently coordinating with various authorities and the vessel’s operators to finalize a plan to free the Maccoa, which may take a few days to accomplish.

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