Cargo Ship Stranded in St. Lawrence River Freed After Nearly Four Weeks

A cargo ship has been freed after it was stuck for nearly four weeks in the St. Lawrence River north of Montreal. The Canadian Coast Guard said the Onego Otra was refloated on Sunday morning with the help of three tugboats. The Onego Otra had been stranded in the river between Île St-Ours and Contrecoeur since it ran aground June 30 due to a rudder issue that occurred shortly after it left Montreal. The ship sailed to Sorel on Sunday, escorted by two of the tugs, where it will be inspected by divers, a Coast Guard spokesperson said.

The vessel was refloated after a second round of lightening operations, which aimed to unload 2,400 tonnes of cargo from the ship. Crews had previously unloaded 2,720 tonnes of cargo earlier in the month in a failed attempt to refloat the ship. The ship has a listed cargo capacity of 9,500 tonnes.

The general cargo ship, sailing under the flag of Antigua and Barbuda, was en route to New Orleans.

Montréal Gazette