Operation delayed to unload cargo from ship stuck in St. Lawrence River near Montreal

MONTREAL — An operation to off-load thousands of tonnes of corn from a ship that ran aground in the St. Lawrence River northeast of Montreal has been postponed to the weekend.

The plan had been to start unloading the MV Maccoa Thursday, but Fisheries and Oceans Canada said the barges needed to carry the corn are still being readied in Quebec City.

Once ready, the barges from the company Ocean Group will make the 20-hour journey to an area near Verchères, Que., where the Cyprus-flagged 185-metre bulk carrier ran aground in the early hours of Dec. 24, said Amélie Boisjoly-Lavoie, acting deputy superintendent of the Canadian Coast Guard’s marine hazards and environmental response team.

“We hope that the barges will be ready today (Thursday) so the transit could take place tomorrow,” Boisjoly-Lavoie said, adding that preparing the barges has taken longer than expected, likely because of the holiday period.

More than 3,000 metric tonnes of corn must be off-loaded to help get the ship floating so it can resume its course. The operation will be carried out weather permitting, as corn cannot be off-loaded in the rain or else it risks turning inedible.

Last weekend, three tugboats tried to free the vessel but failed. As a result, officials decided to unload the ship to lighten its weight before trying to pull it loose.

“In many cases, with three tugs pulling on the ship, it will free it, but in this case, the ship is too far into the mud, so the next step is to remove weight, Boisjoly-Lavoie said. It’s unknown when the next attempt to free the ship will take place.

Twenty crew members remain on board the vessel, which is deemed to be in stable condition.

No one was injured during the incident and no pollution was detected in the area where the ship ran aground.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 2, 2025.

Sébastien Auger, The Canadian Press