Dutch cargo ship blocks vital trade route in Saint Lawrence seaway

A Dutch cargo ship has run aground in the Saint Lawrence Seaway near Montreal, blocking the passage for other vessels, Canadian media reported on Friday. This is a crucial trade route linking the Atlantic to the Great Lakes.

The incident occurred on Thursday evening when the engines of the ship Heemskerkgracht, which is 138 metres long, failed, causing it to lose its manoeuvrability. The bow of the ship struck the shoreline.

Currently, due to a lockout at two railway companies in Canada and the resulting suspension of rail transport, the Saint Lawrence Seaway serves as an alternative route for, among other things, the export of Canadian grain. There is no way to bypass the area blocked by the Dutch ship.

The more than 3,700-kilometre inland waterway for ocean-going vessels between the Atlantic and the Great Lakes generates £40 billion in economic activity annually and helps maintain nearly 357,000 jobs in Canada and the USA. The locks on the waterway allow bypassing landmarks such as Niagara Falls.

The operation to pull the ship off the shoal is ongoing. The media quoted a statement from the operator of the Saint Lawrence Seaway, Jean Aubry-Morin, who said that at the time of the accident, there were six ships on Lake Saint-Louis waiting to enter the channel. He estimated that by the time Heemskerkgracht is towed, the number could rise to 14.