A ship carrying steel scrap ran aground Thursday evening at the entrance to the South Shore Canal near Kahnawake, leading to the interruption of maritime transport, while the rail system is already under strain.
Around 6:45 p.m., the Heemskerkgrachta Dutch cargo ship, left the Côte-Sainte-Catherine lock heading for Spain. It was while making a 180-degree turn to head towards the Atlantic that it suffered an engine failure and hit the breakwater, causing it to run aground.
PHOTO CHRISTINNE MUSCHI, THE CANADIAN PRESS
THE Heemskerkgracht was heading across the Atlantic to Spain.
The South Shore Canal allows ships to bypass the Lachine Rapids by navigating outside the St. Lawrence River. At this time of year, 16 to 21 ships use this waterway daily.
Maritime traffic “completely blocked”
The accident comes as the Canadian rail system is being undermined by the ongoing standoff between rail workers and the Canadian National Railway Company (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC).
The seaway is therefore the “backup system” for the railway for exporting grains and special goods in the event of disruptions, explains the spokesperson for the St. Lawrence Seaway, Jean Aubry-Morin.
“We are in a high traffic situation which means that the intervention is in an emergency mode to ensure that there is not a long delay in the interruption of navigation,” he said. “It is something important, even if we are not at the level of the stoppage in the Panama Canal, because the [système ferroviaire] will be challenged again.”
No fewer than seven ships were still stuck Friday afternoon in the South Shore Canal due to the grounding of the HeemskerkgrachtThe St. Lawrence Seaway expects 14 to 16 ships to be at anchor by the time the canal is cleared.
“This is what makes the situation so acute because the valve is compromised and it must not remain so for long,” explains Jean Aubry-Morin.
The ships currently stuck in the South Shore Canal are mainly carrying grain bound for Port-Cartier and Quebec, but also steel and commodities such as potash and fertilizers that will be used for next year’s planting.
Every year, no fewer than 3,800 ships transit through the South Shore Canal. According to Jean Aubry-Morin, it is still too early to determine the economic repercussions of this accident.
No return to normal before Saturday noon
According to Jean Aubry-Morin, the refloating or “refloating” of the Dutch ship should take place by Saturday noon, because no maneuvers are carried out at night to “avoid incidents.”
“We expect that this period will be sufficient to refloat the vessel and direct it with tugs to an inspection point that has yet to be determined,” added the spokesperson for the St. Lawrence Seaway.