Two Salvage Vessels Arrive in Canadian Arctic to Begin Refloating of Grounded ‘Thamesborg’

A tug and an ice-class cargo vessel have arrived in the Canadian Arctic to begin efforts to refloat the Dutch-flagged Thamesborg. The 21,359-dwt vessel has been aground on a shoal along the Northwest Passage since earlier this month.

Thamesborg was carrying a load of carbon blocks from Lianyungang, China to Baie-Comeau, Canada when the modern ice-class vessel struck a shoal in the Franklin Strait. Parts of Canada’s Arctic waters remain poorly mapped with many surveys conducted decades ago and at low resolution. Shipping experts point out that the usual shipping lane passes further west through the Strait. It is unclear why Thamesborg selected an easterly route.

The 450 tonnes tug Beverly M I was dispatched from Belledune, New Brunswick on September 9 arriving at the incident site over the weekend. With 4,000 horsepower the tug has a bollard pull of 71 tonnes. The same tug assisted Wagenborg’s general cargo ship Tiberborg when it went adrift in Baffin Bay in mid-August. Beverly M I escorted Tiberborg back to Baie-Comeau.

In addition to the tug a Norwegian-flagged ice-class reefer cargo ship has now arrived alongside Thamesborg. The 4,230-dwt Silver Copenhagen traveled from the Baltic Sea with a stop in Greenland’s Nuuk. It has a 1B ice-class, key to safely operating in the Canadian Arctic as winter sea ice will start to return in the coming weeks.

With a draft of just 6 meters Silver Copenhagen was able to safely pull up alongside Thamesborg to facilitate the transfer of its cargo

“Weather permitting, it is expected that the first part of the salvage operation will start over the course of this week with part of the cargo of Thamesborg being transshipped to one of the attending salvage vessels,” the vessel’s manager Wagenborg stated. Inclement weather forced a temporary delay of some operations last week. 

A third salvage vessel is also underway to the incident location and will assist in the last part of the salvage operation, according to the company.

Coast Guard officials approved the company’s plan for the safe refloating of the ship last week. The  icebreaker Des Groseilliers remains on standby in the vicinity as well. Continuous inspection of Thamesborg through ROV surveys confirms that fuel tanks and cargo holds remain intact.

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