Lightering operations have begun aboard the grounded laker Tim S. Dool, which has been stranded off Morrisburg, Ontario for three weeks.
On November 23, the Tim S. Dool was under way in the St. Lawrence Seaway with a load of wheat when it grounded in U.S. waters southwest of the Eisenhower Lock, near Massena, New York. Seaway System management authorities are working with the U.S. Coast Guard and Canadian Coast Guard to manage the response and minimize commercial disruption.
Work got under way on a new refloat attempt early Thursday morning, the St. Lawrence Seaway Corporation announced. Speed restrictions on vessel traffic are in place while the salvage operations are in progress.
AIS data showed that as of Thursday, the Tim S. Dool was attended by the tug Ocean Aqua, the mini-tug Ocean Catatug 2 and the grab dredger Borromee Verreault. (Tim S. Dool is not a self-unloading laker, and therefore requires a crane and grab for lighterage.)
The Coast Guard hopes that lightering off the ship's cargo of wheat should be completed within a few days, at which point it will be refloated and pulled free. A previous refloat attempt using three Canadian tugs was unsuccessful.
The cause of the casualty is still under investigation. No pollution or injuries have been reported, and the vessel is far enough out of the main traffic lanes that it is not impeding marine commerce. Navigation is set to close for the winter on the Montreal-Ontario section of the waterway in January, and Great Lakes shipping interests are keen to keep cargo moving as much as possible before the seasonal shutdown.
Tim S. Dool is a 1967-built laker operated by Algoma Central Marine. She has a deadweight capacity of 29,000 tonnes and about 11,000 horsepower available for maneuvering.
It is not the first time that a vessel has gone aground in the area. In August, a Dutch cargo ship lost power in another section of the waterway and blocked traffic. It remained stuck for two days till tugs were able to pull it free and reopen the waterway.
