A month after running aground, the Dutch cargo ship Thamesborg remains stranded on a shoal in Canada’s Northwest Passage.
This past weekend, the Finnish-built icebreaker Botnica arrived after a nearly three-week voyage from Europe, with a stopover in Nuuk, Greenland. It is the fourth vessel dispatched to assist in the salvage operation.
The Thamesborg was en route from Lianyungang, China, to Baie-Comeau, eastern Canada, when it grounded on September 6. To lighten the vessel, part of its cargo — coal blocks — was transferred to the bulk carrier Silver Copenhagen. Another vessel, Nunalik, later joined the operation, likely to remove the remaining cargo.
The presence of the multipurpose icebreaker Botnica provides crucial flexibility as sea ice returns to the Arctic. With a bollard pull of 117 tons, Botnica is far more powerful than the tug Beverly M I, which remains on standby in the area. The icebreaker also increases the chances of towing the Thamesborg safely should shifting ice threaten the stranded vessel.
Built in 1998, Botnica has a displacement of 6,370 tons. In summer, it is typically chartered for offshore operations, while in winter it is operated by the Port of Tallinn to support Baltic Sea navigation.
The vessel’s operator, Wagenborg, plans to attempt refloating the Thamesborg next week, weather permitting. However, conditions are becoming more challenging. According to the Canadian Ice Service, sea ice has already begun to form in the Barrow Strait, north of the grounding site.
The route for the tow remains uncertain. Eastbound transit through the Fury and Hecla Strait is starting to freeze, while the western route via Amundsen Gulf toward Alaska and the Beaufort Sea remains ice-free.
The Northwest Passage traditionally closes to commercial shipping in October, though the timing varies from year to year. Last year, Wagenborg’s ice-class vessel Avonborg managed an eastbound passage only in early November.
