Bulker Successfully Refloated After Two Weeks Grounded on St. Lawrence

The Canadian Coast Guard successfully freed the grounded bulker Maccoa after two weeks of being aground. The vessel, registered in Cyprus, had been delayed in refloating due to the holidays. Three tugs were used in the second attempt to refloat the vessel and reposition it back into the shipping channel. The Maccoa had suffered a power failure shortly after departing Montreal on a trip bound for Ireland, leading to its grounding on Christmas Eve.

Efforts to refloat the vessel were initially unsuccessful, prompting the decision to offload a portion of its cargo of corn. The lightering operation, delayed by the holidays, was completed with the first barge taking 1,250 tonnes of corn. A second barge was positioned to receive additional corn, with plans to remove approximately 3,000 tonnes. Despite initial plans for the next refloating attempt to be on January 8, SMIT Salvage indicated the possibility of attempting it sooner after the second barge completed the lightering operation.

The Maccoa is now underway on the St. Lawrence River under power with a tug escort, heading towards Sorel-Tracy for inspection. Although there were no signs of pollution during the grounding, a survey will determine if repairs are necessary. The vessel will also reload the cargo transferred to the barges. Despite two groundings in the St. Lawrence within a month, authorities do not believe there are conditions on the river making navigation more difficult. Both the Tim S Dool and Maccoa required lightering before being refloated.

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