Onego Otra refloated after month-long grounding in St. Lawrence River

The cargo vessel Onego Otra, which had remained grounded in the St. Lawrence River for about a month, had been pulled free on 26 July. The vessel is now undergoing inspections for any potential damage to the hull.

Vessel ONEGA OTRA, image credit: Christopher Triggs

The vessel ran aground after veering off course due to a rudder problem. It had initially departed from Montreal, Canada, on 20 June after loading a cargo of grain and ended up firmly stuck outside the shipping channel on 30 June.

After the first attempts to pull the vessel free failed, around 2,270 tons of cargo was removed on 12 July to lighten it. Despite this, three tugboats again failed to free the vessel on 14 July.
A further 2,400 tons of cargo was then removed, and another fresh attempt was made on 26 July which was successful.

The vessel refloated and was escorted by two tugs via the St. Lawrence channel to Sorel. The Canadian Coast Guard reported that there had been no pollution from the vessel and no injuries to the crew.

The Onego Otra is a 2010-built general cargo ship registered in Antigua and Barbuda. It has a length of 145.6 metres, a beam of 18.25 metres, and a gross tonnage of 8,059.