Thamesborg was expected to travel from China to Canada in about three to four weeks using an Arctic shortcut. However, the journey ended up taking more than two months. The cargo ship finally arrived at its original destination, Baie Comeau, in eastern Canada.
The ship was successfully refloated on October 8, more than a month after it ran aground in the Franklin Strait, part of the Northwest Passage. For the past two weeks, Thamesborg, along with its escort vessels, the icebreaker Botnica and tugboat Beverly M I, has navigated out of the Arctic, traveling through Baffin Bay, Davis Strait, and into the St. Lawrence River.
Wagenborg announced that the general cargo vessel MV Thamesborg has safely reached the port of Baie Comeau, where it will begin unloading its cargo. After the discharge operations, the vessel will undergo repairs at a shipyard that is yet to be decided.
According to AIS data, Thamesborg is currently anchored close to shore, waiting to offload. Photos taken upon arrival show the vessel operating under its own power.
The salvage operation was complex, involving the transfer of part of Thamesborg’s cargo to two assisting vessels, Nunalik and Silver Copenhagen. The latter arrived in Baie Comeau two days before the rest of the convoy. Photos from October 25 show it unloading its cargo, and it has since left the port.
The grounding incident and subsequent refloating were completed without any pollution or injuries, according to the Canadian Coast Guard's final update on the situation.
“The exact cause of the grounding is currently being investigated in full cooperation with Canadian authorities, including the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB),” Wagenborg noted. An interim report from the TSB is expected within the next 12 months, which should provide more information about what caused the grounding. Some experts in Arctic shipping have suggested that Thamesborg may have taken an unusual route through Franklin Strait, east of the established corridor, leading it to collide with an uncharted underwater shoal.