A Dutch-flagged cargo ship has run aground in the remote Franklin Strait while crossing Canada’s Northwest Passage.

The vessel, named Thamesborg, is a 173-metre-long freighter built in 2012 and operated by Dutch company Wagenborg. It was sailing from Lianyungang, China, a port between Beijing and Shanghai, to Baie-Comeau, Quebec, when the grounding happened around midnight UTC on September 7. The ship was expected to arrive in Baie-Comeau on September 15.

According to the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Trenton, Ontario, the grounding took place in Franklin Strait, a waterway between Prince of Wales Island and the Nunavut mainland, located in the southern half of the Central Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The freighter had 16 people on board at the time.

The Canadian Coast Guard’s icebreaker CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier was dispatched from about 150 nautical miles southwest of the area and arrived within nine hours to assist. Another commercial vessel, the Miena Desgagnes, was also diverted and has been standing by near the grounded freighter in case help is needed.

Passengers on nearby ships first spotted the stranded vessel and reported its situation on Saturday morning. Marine tracking data later confirmed that the Thamesborg remained stationary in the Franklin Strait for most of the day.

Satellite observations suggested there was no ice in the area, which points to shallow waters as the likely reason for the grounding. AIS data indicated the ship struck a shallow pinnacle on the southwest side of the strait.

Wagenborg, the ship’s operator, confirmed there were no injuries among the crew and no pollution released into the surrounding marine environment. The Thamesborg carries a 1A ice-class rating, making it capable of operating in Arctic waters during summer and fall in first-year ice conditions.

The company has been a pioneer in using the Northwest Passage, becoming the first European operator to transit the route in 2016. Thamesborg is among the vessels that now routinely take this shortcut between Asia and Canada.

The Northwest Passage has become increasingly accessible in recent years, as climate change has reduced sea ice; however, this has also created new navigational challenges due to shifting ice patterns.

The Arctic route is about 3,750 nautical miles shorter than the traditional path through the Panama Canal, offering a time saving of nearly 14 days and reducing emissions by around 40 percent, according to Wagenborg. However, environmental groups warn that increased shipping in the Arctic brings risks of accidents and harmful emissions in fragile ecosystems.

Franklin Strait, located about 800 miles northeast of Yellowknife, is one of the most remote and difficult areas for maritime operations. The area is notorious for both shallow waters and drifting ice floes, which can clog waterways even during the short summer shipping season.

Reference: cabinradio

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