Crew rescued after cargo vessel runs aground on Newfoundland’s west coast

All crew members of the MSC Baltic III have been rescued after their vessel ran aground close to the Lark Harbour shoreline off Newfoundland and Labrador’s west coast.

Early Saturday morning, the Marine Communications and Traffic Services Centre in nearby Channel-Port aux Basques received a mayday from the cargo ship, about 12 nautical miles (22 kilometres) off the entrance to the Bay of Islands.

At that time, the ship reported a loss of power.

Conditions were not in the crew’s favour. A winter storm warning was in effect in the region at the time of the incident, with winds up to 120 km/h. Ferry crossings to Nova Scotia from nearby Port aux Basques had been cancelled for the day.

As such, the crew were unable to secure an anchor, leaving them adrift.

According to the Canadian Coast Guard, shortly after losing power, the ship ran aground in Wild Cove, west of Lark Harbour, with 20 crew members aboard.

Photos and video posted to social media show the vessel against the rocks, close to the cliffs.

Premier Andrew Furey confirmed Saturday morning that all 20 crew members had been safely evacuated.

The crew were airlifted from the Baltic III via Cormorant helicopter.

The Halifax Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre said it was alerted to the full power blackout on the vessel on Saturday morning. In a social media post, the centre said that “thanks to 103 and 413 #SAR Squadrons’ swift response, all 20 crew were airlifted to safety.”

The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) ship Henry Larsen was in the area, and search-and-rescue aircraft, including a Cormorant helicopter, also joined the rescue effort.

A CCG response plan is underway, with a Marine Environmental Hazards Response team who will be working with the operator of the MSC Baltic III. The Henry Larsen is staying in the area, while CCG crew and equipment are on the way.

The incident occurred on the anniversary of the Ocean Ranger disaster in 1982, during which 84 men lost their lives.

The cause of the loss of power aboard MSC Baltic III is not yet known.

CBC

Here are the ships that went through
the Soo Locks the most in 2024

The Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie are a critical piece to the ever-important Great Lakes shipping industry. Each year, from late March through mid January of the next year, hundreds of ships go through Lakes Superior and Huron, up and the St. Mary’s River transporting tens of millions of tons of cargo.

The Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie are a critical piece to the ever-important Great Lakes shipping industry. Each year, from late March through mid-January of the next year, hundreds of ships go through Lakes Superior and Huron, up and the St. Marys River transporting tens of millions of tons of cargo.

Data obtained from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which manages the Soo Locks, shows just how many ships and how often those ships went through the locks.

According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, there were 240 ships and tugs that went through the Soo Locks between March 25, 2024, and Jan. 16, 2025. During that time, there were 3,651 total locks.Many of those ships only went twice – a trip through the lock upbound and then back downbound, or vice-versa.

Below are the top 30 ships and how often they went through the lakes.

1. Lee. A Tregurtha – 90 locks
2. Edwin H. Gott – 80 locks
3. American Century – 79 locks (tie)
4. Hon. James L. Oberstar – 79 locks (tie)
5. Edgar B. Speer – 76 locks (tie)
6. Indiana Harbor – 76 locks (tie)
7. Presque Isle – 75 locks (tie)
8. Tug Shirley Ann – 75 locks (tie)
9. Paul R. Tregurtha – 73 locks
10. Walter J. McCarthy Jr. – 71 locks
11. American Integrity – 70 locks (tie)
12. James R. Barker – 70 locks (tie)
13. Joseph L. Block -70 locks (tie)
14. Mesabi Miner – 70 locks (tie)
15. John G. Munson – 66 locks
16. Arthur M. Anderson – 65 locks
17. H. Lee White – 64 locks
18. Joyce L Vanenkevort – 62 locks
19. Burns Harbor – 60 locks
20. American Spirit – 67 locks
21. Stewart J. Cort – 56 locks
22. Kaye E. Barker – 54 locks
23. Tug Clyde S. Vanenkevort – 53 locks
24. American Mariner – 52 locks (tie)
25. Phillip R. Clarke – 52 locks (tie)
26. Victory – 52 locks (tie)
27. Tug Sharon M 1 – 49 locks
28. Harvest Spirit – 48 locks
29. Manitoulin – 46 locks
30. Saginaw – 45 locks

New Corps tug for Soo launched in Louisiana

The Soo Project Office, located in Sault Ste. Marie, MI, will receive two new tugs this year. The tug captains, engineers and crews recently went to the Lower Atchafalaya River at the shipbuilder’s Morgan City, LA, facility to witness the first tug launch.

The R.J. Pearce was released into the water by sinking the barge it was on and then cut loose to float.

The new tug is named in honor of Ronald J. Pearce’s impeccable service and dedication to his country and the Corps of Engineers. Pearce worked at the Soo Locks for thirty-five-years, starting in the area at the age of 13 delivering mail to the 15,000 troops stationed in Sault Ste Marie during WWII. He was appointed Chief of the St. Marys River Branch in 1967 where he would complete his career.

The tug will have American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) classification of Maltese Cross ✠ A-1 Towing Vessel, Ice Class C0, Great Lakes Service with Maltese Cross ✠ AMS and UWILD. The overall length is 76 feet, beam is 28 feet and drafts 9.5 feet deep fully loaded.

The next tug will be named H.J. Lawson.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District

OBITUARY: Canadian Shipowner Scott Misener

Scott Angus Misener, born in London, Ontario, in 1938, passed away peacefully at Toronto Western Hospital on January 30, 2025. He was the son of Ralph Scott Misener and Eleanor Jean Misener.

Scott was an integral part of the family shipping company Scott Misener Steamships, which was established by his grandfather, Captain Scott Misener. His passion for shipping on the Great Lakes was well-known and he carried on the family legacy with pride and dedication, ultimately serving as the Chairman of Misener Holdings.

Scott is survived by his children, Pamela Jane Misener and Richard Scott Misener, and partner Sally Schultz. He was predeceased by his sister Heather Logan and brother Peter Misener. He is survived by his brother and friend, Paul Misener.

His contributions to his family and community and legacy in the shipping industry and many other ventures will never be forgotten.

Private family arrangements have taken place; a memorial will be held at a later time celebrating his remarkable life and to remember the joy and love he brought to the world. For those who wish, the family requests donations be made to MS Canada (Multiple Sclerosis) or a charity of their choice in Scott’s honor. Online condolences may be made through www.turnerporter.ca.

Sweden clears cargo ship Vezhen after
undersea cable damage investigation

Swedish authorities have lifted the confiscation of the cargo ship Vezhen following an investigation into the breakage of an undersea fiber optic cable between Sweden and Latvia on 26 January, according to a report by Swedish Television (SVT).

The Swedish prosecution authority confirmed that the inquiry found no evidence of sabotage. “The investigation now clearly shows that it is not a case of sabotage,” the agency stated.

Vezhen, built in 2022, has been a Great Lakes and Seaway visitor.

Senior prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist from the National Security Unit explained that while Vezhen was responsible for damaging the cable, the incident resulted from poor seamanship, faulty equipment, and adverse weather conditions rather than intentional misconduct.

The damaged fiber optic cable, which connected Latvia and Sweden’s Gotland Island, was among several recent incidents involving disruptions to undersea communication and energy infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.

Initially, Swedish authorities seized Vezhen on suspicion of sabotage, detaining the vessel in the southeastern port of Karlskrona. The bulk carrier, sailing under the Maltese flag and operated by a Bulgarian company, was escorted to port as part of the criminal investigation.

With no signs of deliberate wrongdoing, the ship has now been cleared to resume its journey, SVT reported.

ScandAsia

Tariffs could affect Great Lakes shipping

DULUTH — Tariffs of 25% against sales of goods from Canada and Mexico that were set to take effect on Tuesday have been placed on hold for at least 30 days to allow for further negotiations. As the diplomatic saber-rattling temporarily subsides, area businesses and residents continue to prepare for the possibility that new barriers to North American trade may spring up in the weeks to come.

Northland interests have much riding on how those pending trade talks go.

Tony Barrett, emeritus professor of economics for the College of St. Scholastica, said that if illegal border crossings and the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. are the true rationale for the sanctions, as the Trump administration maintains, the issue likely could be addressed shortly and with minimal economic disruption.

But if the nature of the trade dispute becomes muddier, he suggested the consequences could be far worse. “If the dispute becomes protracted, nothing economically positive will come from it,” Barrett predicted.

Given the current configuration of auto-making operations, with parts and vehicles flowing throughout North America, he said economists project the proposed 25% tariffs could add about $3,000 to the cost of a new vehicle purchased in the U.S. In turn, Barrett noted that higher prices for new vehicles would likely bleed into the domestic used-car market, too.

“Things like this work their way out down the food chain,” Barrett said, explaining that the expense will be passed forward.

“It will end up costing consumers more,” he said. “The idea that the exporting countries will pay the tariffs simply is not true. It would be nice to believe that, but they won’t.”

The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative issued a letter “to the growing chorus of American and Canadian leaders who oppose the prospect of a harmful trade war between our two countries.”

“The economic engine of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Region supports over 50 million jobs that our residents count on,” the letter said. “The livelihoods of millions cannot be put at risk by putting these jobs in jeopardy.”

Deb DeLuca, executive director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority, said her staff is also closing tracking developments.

“Duluth-Superior is a world port, and global trade is part of our lifeblood,” she said. “Anything that inhibits free trade is generally a negative for the port, with the exception of policies that protect against foreign steel-dumping.”

DeLuca noted close ties between port cities on both sides of the border.

“Regarding Canada and the U.S. specifically, Duluth-Superior would likely suffer from tariffs imposed by either country,” she said. “Cargo volumes between our port and Canada total in the millions of tons each year, spread across categories like iron ore, lumber, salt, grain and general cargo. Almost a third of the iron ore that sailed from Duluth-Superior during the 2024 navigation season went to Canada.

“Our northern neighbor is a major trade partner,” DeLuca said. “and the net economic result of a trade war between Canada and the U.S. would likely be more negative than positive for our port.”

Nevertheless, Eric Peace, vice president of the Lake Carriers Association, which represents U.S.-flagged operators of the Great Lakes fleet, suggested the short-term effects of the proposed tariffs would likely be minimal on his organization’s members. In fact, he predicted it could lead to more business for its members, as carriers are called upon to move more domestic salt by way of water — shipments that nearly all involve Canadian salt shipped by Canadian vessels.

However, he acknowledged that a protracted trade dispute could prove more disruptive to the domestic automobile industry, potentially weakening demand for steel and slowing shipments of taconite.

Forest products could also take a hit, with the U.S. importing about one-third of its softwood lumber from Canada and relying heavily on its paper-making capacity, as well.

Forum Communications Co., the Fargo, North Dakota-based owner of the News Tribune, buys all of its newsprint from Canadian paper makers and would feel the direct impact of the proposed tariffs.

Aaron Becher, Forum Communications’ vice president of newspapers, said that if the threatened tariffs take effect, “It will present us with greater cost challenges that we will need to manage carefully.”

Duluth News Tribune

OSHA fines company behind Cuyahoga ship fire,
says ‘fate’ saved crew

ASHTABULA, OH – The company responsible for a commercial iron ore vessel in Ashtabula in March 2024 is facing federal discipline after investigators said the fire that broke out could’ve been prevented by following regulations.

The Cuyahoga, one of Canada’s oldest shipping vessels, caught fire at the Port of Ashtabula while a crew member was using welding equipment to get paint off in the ship’s cargo hold while others were on break below the cargo hold.

Thankfully, nobody was injured in the fire but the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was called in to investigate at the U.S. Coast Guard’s referral.

After investigating, OSHA said South Marine Systems of Westlake, OH, failed to designate a competent person to identify hazards and did not have a marine chemist present to test for hazardous atmospheres before welding started.

OSHA also said the company didn’t stop work on the vessel after small fires broke out that caused hazardous conditions and other risks.

OSHA said South Marine Systems failed at the following:

• Determine the flammability of the preservative coating on the bulkhead before hot work.
• Provide a 1-1/2 inch or larger fire hose with fog nozzle while employees use a welder to remove Amerthane 490 off the bulkhead, which would have protected workers from exposure to fire hazards and asphyxiation.
• Provide workers with a ladder to exit the water if they fall in, to prevent exposing them to hypothermia.
• Develop a fire safety plan.
• Establish an internal and external fire response organization.
• Ensure a Chinese-speaking employee performing hot work activities was able to communicate with a Spanish-speaking employee conducting fire watch, to ensure awareness of potential fire hazards.
• Verify employees received a medical examination to ensure fitness for duties involving fighting fires and using fire extinguishers.
• Provide employees exposed to asphyxiation hazards with a self-contained breathing apparatus.
• Train fire watch employees on the very basic elements of fighting a fire, including extinguishing agents and methods of extinguishing fires.
• Provide OSHA 300 Logs and Summary Form 300As for 2021-2023.

As punishment, South Marine Systems received 15 serious violation citations resulting in over $164,000 in fines with one OSAH official saying the company played no part in the crew avoiding disaster.

“Fate, not South Marine Systems, helped the cargo vessel’s crew avoid disaster. The company’s failure to comply with basic safety requirements for welding operations and working in confined spaces exposed workers to fires, asphyxiation and other dangers,” explained OSHA Area Director Howard Eberts in Cleveland. “South Marine Systems must review its training program and its work operations immediately to make certain everyone on their work crews can recognize hazards and safely respond to emergencies.”

The U.S. Coast Guard and National Transport Safety Board have also opened investigations of their own into the incident.

Fox 8 News

Lake water levels continue to be low: ILSBC

Water levels on Lake Superior and Lake Michigan-Huron continue to be below the seasonal long-term average, and below last year’s level. That’s according to the International Lake Superior Board of Control. The board says the gate setting on the St. Marys River will be maintained at the typical winter gate setting.

Find the full news release from the board below:

The Board expects the total St. Marys River flow in February to be 1,690 m3/s (59,700 cfs), as prescribed by Regulation Plan 2012. Actual hour-to-hour and day-to-day flows may vary depending on hydrologic conditions, as well as variations in flow from the hydropower plants.

The gate setting of the Compensating Works will be maintained at the typical winter gate setting (Gate #1 and Gates #7 through #10 open 20 cm each) equivalent to approximately one-half gate open. Therefore, the average St. Marys Rapids flow in February is expected to be approximately 83 m3/s (2,900 cfs). Gate #1 will remain at its typical setting which supplies a flow of about 15 m3/s (500 cfs) to the channel north of the Fishery Remedial Dike.

Water level changes over the month of January

Water supply conditions were drier than average in both Lake Superior and Lake Michigan-Huron basins in January.

Lake Superior declined by 8 cm (3.1 in) last month while the seasonal long-term average pattern is for Lake Superior to decline by 7 cm (2.8 in) in January.

Lake Michigan-Huron declined by 9 cm (3.5 in) last month, while the seasonal long-term average pattern is for Lake Michigan-Huron to decline by 2 cm (0.8 in) in January.

Water levels as of the beginning of February

At the beginning of February, the lake-wide average water level of Lake Superior was 16 cm (6.3 in) below the seasonal long-term average (1918-2023) and 14 cm (5.5 in) below the level of a year ago.

At the beginning of February, the lake-wide average water level of Lake Michigan-Huron was 18 cm (7.1 in) below the seasonal long-term average (1918-2023) and 28 cm (11.0 in) below the level of a year ago.

Forecast outlook

Water level changes based on water supplies over the month of February.

If weather and water supply conditions are near average, Lake Superior may decline by approximately 4 cm (1.6 in.) and Lake Michigan-Huron may decline by approximately 1 cm (0.4 in).

If conditions are much wetter than average, Lake Superior may decline by approximately 1 cm (0.4 in) and Lake Michigan-Huron may rise by approximately 5 cm (2.0 in).

If conditions are much drier than average, the water level of Lake Superior may drop by as much as 8 cm (3.1 in), and Lake Michigan-Huron may decrease by as much as 6 cm (2.4 in).

The International Lake Superior Board of Control is responsible for managing the control works on the St. Marys River and regulating the outflow from Lake Superior into Lake Michigan-Huron. Under any outflow regulation plan, the ability to regulate the flow through the St. Marys River does not mean that full control of the water levels of Lake Superior and Lake Michigan-Huron is possible. This is because the major factors affecting water supply to the Great Lakes (i.e. precipitation, evaporation, and runoff) cannot be controlled, and are difficult to accurately predict. Outflow management cannot eliminate the risk of extreme water levels from occurring during periods of severe weather and water supply conditions. Additional information can be found at the Board’s homepage: https://ijc.org/en/lsbc or on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/InternationalLakeSuperiorBoardOfControl

Soo Today

Port Huron Maritime Center Torn Down

Port Huron, MI – The Great Lakes Maritime Center in Port Huron was demolished Wednesday morning. The Center was closed in 2023 because of low attendance and a decision by the owner to shift gears. The center was privately operated by Acheson Ventures for nearly 20 years, but the property had been listed for sale and will likely be redeveloped.

The Maritime Center was a place to learn about Great Lakes history, watch boats, and relax. It had a nautical museum, a riverwalk, a farmers’ market, a snack bar, and a coffee shop. It hosted many Great Lakes-themed presentations, including an annual book release signing for Know Your Ships and a fall Authorama book and artist event. For several years it was the real-world home of boatnerd3.jasonbowlerdesign.com/ and its representative, "Freighter" Frank Frisk.

Since the announcement in late 2023 that center was closing, many of the maritime artifacts that had been on display there found a new home at the Port Huron Museums.

While some groups, such as the Great Lakes Nautical Society, which had model ships at the center, took back their own items, Mike Delong, vice president of operations at Acheson Ventures, which owns the Maritime Center and surrounding Vantage Point site, confirmed earlier this year that many of the items displayed there had been taken in by the museum after they announced closure of the facility in late 2023.

Port Huron philanthropist Jim Acheson, the Maritime Center’s founder, died in 2023.

Firefighters extinguish fire
on docked Frontenac

Sturgeon Bay, WI – Firefighters from multiple departments in Door County responded to a fire on the bulk carrier Frontenac at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding around noon Tuesday.

The fire reportedly occurred while cleaning the dust container onboard the ship.  Not much smoke was visible from outside of the scene, but firefighters had to weave through the ship to get water to the source of the fire, which was contained in about an hour. There were no injuries reported.

According to the Canada Steamship Lines website, the Frontenac was built in 1968 and converted into a self-unloader in 1973.

Frontenac fire has been contained

A fire aboard the Canada Steamship Lines’ motor vessel Frontenac at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding, Sturgeon Bay, WI, has been contained. Multiple fire departments responded to the Tuesday early afternoon call. The fire is believed to have started when a subcontractor was cleaning out the dust collector, part of the self-unloading system. There were no injuries reported.

Let’s Go Door County

Duluth sees cargo decline as iron ore volumes drop

Cargo throughput at the Port of Duluth-Superior fell 6.8% in 2024, mainly due to a 10.4% drop in iron ore shipments.

Total cargo throughput at the Port of Duluth-Superior declined by 6.8% in the 2024 navigation season, totaling 26.8m metric tonnes (29.6m short tonnes), down from 28.8m tonnes in 2023 and 27.6m tonnes in 2022.

The decline was primarily driven by reduced iron ore shipments. Taconite volumes fell to 17.6m tonnes from a 28-season high in 2023, representing a 10.4% year-on-year decrease. Despite this, iron ore volumes remained above the five-season average.

Despite the overall decline, the port recorded several successes. Maritime import and export tonnage rose nearly 15% year-on-year, fueled by a 31% surge in exports. Spring wheat exports more than tripled, driving waterborne grain shipments to nearly 720,000 tonnes—the highest level since 2021 following a strong fourth-quarter performance.

Breakbulk cargo through Duluth’s Clure Public Marine Terminal increased by 70% year-on-year, with shipments reaching destinations as far as the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada. Wind energy cargo recorded its highest volume since 2020. Freight volumes handled by Duluth Cargo Connect, spanning maritime, road, and rail transport, exceeded 453,000 tonnes—a 21% increase and the highest total since 2020.

Spliethoff introduced a regular transatlantic liner service between Duluth and the Mediterranean, complementing the Duluth-Antwerp service launched in 2023, the port’s first such regular connection since the 1970s. Limestone shipments exceeded 3m tonnes, the highest since 2019. Low-sulphur coal volumes remained above 5m tonnes, posting a modest year-on-year increase. The port welcomed 58 oceangoing vessels, eight more than the previous season.

Located in Minnesota at the westernmost point of Lake Superior, the Port of Duluth-Superior remains a key hub within the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System.

World Cargo News

Raffle winner for S.S. Alpena trip announced

William Meyers of Traverse City, MI, is the lucky winner of the trip on the steamer Alpena that was being raffled off by the International Shipmasters’ Association. His name was picked during the annual Grand Lodge Convention held this past weekend in Alpena, MI.

U.S. Shipping Companies Invest
$150 Million in Great Lakes Region

CLEVELAND – With winter in full swing, the U.S.-flagged fleet of Lakers have tied up in ports across the Great Lakes region to perform critical maintenance before the navigational locks in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan reopen on March 25th.  Hundreds of skilled shipyard workers will flock to the area to support the nearly $150 million maintenance investment being made on these massive ships.  The state receiving the largest amount of work is Ohio with $51.5 million, followed closely by Wisconsin at $51 million, Pennsylvania at $25 million, Minnesota and Michigan both getting $9 million, and another $3 million will go to facilities in New York and Illinois.

“This level of investment is a testament to the strength of the U.S. shipping industry on the Great Lakes.  Domestically produced steel will be installed on many ships by U.S welders and electronic equipment will be upgraded by American electricians.  It is good for the ships, good for local jobs, and great for the Great Lakes region,” stated Jim Weakley, President of the Lake Carriers Association.

After nine and a half months of continuous operations loading and unloading various bulk cargo, the ships get a short rest period.  Most of the crew that sailed will get a prolonged vacation while engineers and other support staff work over the winter to make sure the vessels are in top shape when the season begins again in March.  Propulsion equipment will be tuned and, in some cases, replaced, steel hull plating and welds will get refreshed, and crew comforts will be added or upgraded.

Since most of the U.S.-flagged fleet of lakers are too large to exit the Great Lakes due to the limiting size of the Seaway locks, they will remain comfortably accommodated at some of the world’s best ship repair facilities right here in Great Lakes states.  Investment in the current Great Lakes ships is an investment in the future of the North American economy and the continued strength of our nation.

Lake Carriers’ Association

Algoma Sault enters winter layup in Port Colborne

Its engine laboring at times, McKeil Marine’s tug John D surged up the Welland Canal Thursday at Lake Erie, its bow rising and crashing through the ice, opening a path on the waterway.

The 21-metre-long work tug left its berth on the west side of the canal wall in Port Colborne, heading down the middle before turning toward Wharf 16 on the east side, just in front of the already docked CSL Thunder Bay.

It was clearing the canal and wall of ice for the incoming 255.55-metre-long Algoma Sault, a self-unloading bulk carrier of St. Catharines-based Algoma Central Corp.’s domestic fleet, on its way for winter layup.

The Algoma vessel headed down the lake from Long Point Bay off Port Dover.

As Algoma Sault sat offshore of the breakwall, the Canadian Coast Guard’s 70-metre-long icebreaker and buoy tender Samuel Risley headed out onto Lake Erie, clearing a path in the canal and passing the cargo vessel before heading east down the lake.

On the Marine Traffic website, the Samuel Risley was later spotted off Buffalo, working with the U.S. Coast Guard’s 42-metre-long icebreaking tug Bristol Bay. By late afternoon, the two were headed west up the lake past Port Colborne.

Along with the Neah Bay, another American icebreaker, the two worked together last week to free Lower Lakes Towing Ltd.’s 202-metre-long Manitoulin from the lake’s icy grip. The bulk carrier became stuck for four days after delivering a load of wheat to the Queen City more than a week ago.

The three vessels freed the cargo ship last Saturday and escorted it 32 kilometres up the lake to open waters off Port Colborne, where it continued on unescorted to meet the 73-metre-long heavy U.S. icebreaker Mackinaw near Pelee Island. The Mackinaw escorted the vessel to Sarnia, at the mouth of the St. Clair River and Lake Huron, for winter layup.

With CSL Thunder Bay just south of it, Algoma Sault is the third cargo vessel to layover in the city for the winter before the canal opens sometime in March.

Also docked in Port Colborne is Algoma Buffalo, north of Main Street Bridge near Wharf 12, and McKeil Marine barge-pushing tug Sharon M I.

Welland Tribune

Vezhen Operator Claims Proof
Subsea Cable Damage Was Accidental

Bulgarian shipping company Navibulgar has released images of the anchoring system aboard the bulker Vezhen, which has been boarded and detained on suspicion of dragging its anchor and damaging a subsea cable between Gotland and Latvia last weekend. According to Navibulgar CEO Capt. Alexander Kalchev, the photos show that the chain stopper failed in a gradual way that allowed the chain to “leak” out slowly under tension, without a runaway.

The Vezhen was seized by Sweden on Sunday on suspicion of aggravated sabotage after a cable outage between Gotland and Latvia. Sweden’s coast guard intercepted the vessel as soon as the cable breach was identified, and a police boarding team deployed to the ship by military helicopter. The crew agreed to divert to Swedish territorial seas, where the ship was detained. A senior Swedish prosecutor and a senior police official have both declined questions about whether the diversion was voluntary.

Navibulgar’s Kalchev insists that the incident was an accident, and has opened an internal investigation. He told Bulgarian business outlet Economic that as Vezhen approached Gotland on Saturday, weather conditions were rough, with waves of 10 feet and winds of 40 knots. Surveillance footage from the bridge shows that the Vezhen’s bow took a pounding. In these conditions, the wave action worked the port anchor back and forth until the wire stopper on the chain failed, he said. After that, all the weight of the chain and anchor hung on the guillotine stopper. The stopper failed gradually under tension, letting a few links slip underneath the bar at a time, he said.

“[The guillotine stopper] bore the blows of every wave that crashed into the axis of the ship, which little by little led to its wear and tear and the gradual ‘leakage’ of the chain into the sea,” explained Kalchev. He said that such incidents had happened before, but never causing subsea cable damage. (Guillotine stopper failures have been reported previously in the near-miss literature.)

According to Kalchev, the wear on the stopper bar proved that the anchor drop was accidental, even if expensive and politically ill-timed. “There is no way to calculate at what point the wire and guillotine would give way and drop the anchor at the exact moment when the ship is next to the cable in order to deliberately cause an incident,” he said.

For now, the ship’s crew have been neither detained nor questioned, Kalchev said. “The investigation is probably ongoing, but there are no investigators on board the ship and no interviews have been conducted with the crew,” he told the outlet.

The Maritime Executive