Grounding in the Arctic

Captains,

The Northwest Passage has been particularly challenging recently. The M/V Clipper Adventurer, a cruise ship with 128 passengers, ran aground in the same passage on August 27, 2010.

RADM W

Northwest Passage tanker could be stuck for days

Range of Arctic charting may be to blame: shipping official

Last Updated: Friday, September 3, 2010 | 10:37 PM CST

CBC News

The MV Nanny, seen Wednesday, is aground on an an uncharted sandbar in Simpson Strait, about 50 kilometres southwest of Gjoa Haven, Nunavut, in the Northwest Passage. (Canadian Coast Guard)

It could take days, even a week, before a fuel tanker carrying 9.5 million litres of diesel gets dislodged from a sandbar in the Northwest Passage.

The Merchant Vessel Nanny slammed into the uncharted sandbar Wednesday in Simpson Strait, about 50 kilometres southwest of Gjoa Haven in western Nunavut.

The tanker, owned by Newfoundland-based Woodward's Oil Ltd., was delivering annual diesel shipments to remote Arctic communities. It was en route to Taloyoak, another Nunavut community, when it became stuck in the strait.

The tanker's crew is safe and no fuel has spilled from the intact double-hulled ship to date. Still, the Canadian Coast Guard ship Henry Larsen has anchored itself within kilometres of the MV Nanny, watching for any potential leaks.