New plan in the making to free cargo ship stuck in St. Lawrence River

A new plan to free the Tim S. Dool, a large cargo ship that ran aground on a shoal along the St. Lawrence River near Morrisburg, Ont. last week is expected to be finalized early next week.

Despite efforts to refloat the vessel, the vessel remains stuck as of Friday evening.

"The vessel remains in a stable condition, with no signs of pollution and the ship is not taking on water," the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation told CTV News Ottawa in a statement on Saturday.

"Currently, salvage teams are in the planning stages for lightering operations to reduce the vessel's weight, which will facilitate subsequent refloating attempts.

"Further updates will follow as the situation progresses."

(CTV News Ottawa)

Three tugboats, the Ocean Intrepid, Ocean Taiga, and Ocean Tundra, arrived from Quebec City after a near two-day journey to assist with the jam. 

The Tim S. Dool, a 225-metre-long lake freighter carrying Canadian wheat, became stranded in U.S. waters just east of Morrisburg, Ont. at approximately 12:30 p.m. Saturday. No one was hurt and the ship remained stable and outside the navigation channel.

The refloating procedure operation began Monday morning, with engines roaring and smoke billowing from the ship's stack, but by midday, the ship had not budged.

"It's probably a once-in-a-lifetime event," says Donna Plant, a local resident who has closely followed the vessel's progress. "I know for a fact she goes up and down this river a lot because I've seen her. I've gone out to see her right through right up to Iroquois locks. We followed her a couple of times. I'm interested to see how they're going to deal with this issue."

The grounding has drawn ship-watchers and locals alike, some of whom are speculating about the cause.

"There seem to be two theories," says observer Fred Glucksman. "One is somebody missed the last buoy and responded too slowly; the other is that they had a mechanical failure."

Despite the setback, officials reported no injuries or environmental damage.

Ocean Intrepide tug boat is at the port side of the Tim S. Dool, a 225-metre-long lake freighter carrying Canadian wheat that ran aground in the St. Lawrence River last weekend. ((Tyler Fleming/ CTV News Ottawa)

The incident, however, has drawn comparisons to the 1970 sinking of the Eastcliffe Hall in the same area, which resulted in a tragic loss of life.

Last year, a ship ran aground in the St. Lawrence near Cornwall, Ont. and was stuck for about two days, causing disruptions to marine traffic before it was successfully refloated. 

Efforts to free the Tim S. Dool are expected to continue, but for now, the ship remains stuck, leaving crews and onlookers alike wondering when and how it will finally be set free.

The Tim S. Dool is owned by the Algoma Central Corporation, a Canadian shipping company. The ship went into service in 1967 with a gross tonnage of 18,700. The ship services the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes. 

With files from CTV News Ottawa's William Eltherington and Jack Richardson

• Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
• The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App