Ship stuck in St. Lawrence near Morrisburg, Ont. being refloated

Ocean Taiga tug boat at the bow of 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 St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation says a salvage plan is now in place for a ship that ran aground in the St. Lawrence River last weekend.

As of Friday morning, three Canadian cargo ships are seen at the site, including Ocean Taiga at the bow, Ocean Intrepide at the starboard and Ocean Tundra at the stern.

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.

(CTV News Ottawa)

In an update Thursday, St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation spokesperson Nicole Giroux-Laplante said tugboats have been mobilized to rendezvous with the ship.

"The tugs are expected to arrive tonight, with refloating efforts scheduled to begin (Friday) morning," she said.

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.

There has been no word as to the precise cause of the ship's grounding. No other vessels were involved in the incident, Seaway management said.

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. 

With files from CTV News Ottawa's Tyler Fleming

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