THAMESBORG

General information

Course/Position

Latest news

Icebreaker enroute from Tallinn to refloat Thamesborg

The icebreaker "Botnica" (IMO: 9165877) has been dispatched from Tallinn on Sep 10 on the 3,000-nautical-mile to refloat the 'Thamesborg'. The ship has been chartered by Wagenborg in consultation with the insurance company. The "Botnica" will not be needed for icebreaking in the Gulf of Finland until December and has no contract until then. For the use as an offshore supply vessel, the "Botnica" also has a pulling force of 117 tons. Its propulsion consists of a mix of diesel generators and electric motors. The 12 diesel generators have a combined force of more than 16,000 HP. The necessary salvage gear was selected while the ship was transiting the Kiel Canal en route to Canada in consultation with the Kiel-based agency Sartori & Berge. The 'Botnica' was equipped for the operation on Sep 13 in the heavy lift port of Osterrönfeld. On Sep 14, the ship continued to Brunsbüttel, where the fuel tanks were filled at the bunkering station ahead of the salvage mission, and then it departed towards the Northsea. Report with photo: https://www.kn-online.de/schleswig-holstein/eisbrecher-botnica-am-kanal-fuer-rettungsaktion-in-kanada-ausgeruestet-5LAVRP3QZRGLTKBTVJMNIW33G4.html

Salvage master and naval architect en route to grounding site

Canadian Coast Guard officials stated that there was still no timeline for when the 'Thamesborg' might be refloated. Wagenborg, the Dutch maritime logistics company and operator of the vessel, said in a statement on Sep 11 that a salvage master and naval architect were expected to join the 'Thamesborg' by the end of the week. The ship remained stable in its location, with no pollution or environmental threat. The Canadian Coast Guard lso also uses satellite-based environmental monitoring technology in addition to the two vessels on-site, the CCGS 'Sir Wilfrid Laurier' and the CCGS 'Jean Goodwill'. Both icebreakers on site have pollution equipment that can be used if needed.Aerial surveys have been done, and a ROV completed an inspection of the vessel on Sep 8.

Grounding in Franklin Strait

On Sep 7, 2025, at around midnight UTC, the 'Thamesborg', enroute from Lianyungang to Baie Comeau, Quebec, with 16 people and a cargo of cargon blocks for industrial use (anodes) on board, ran aground in the Northwest Passage within the Franklin Strait, in pos. 71° 21' N 096° 54' W, northwest of the Tasmania Islands in the strait, off mainland Nunavut, The usual shipping lane runs further to the west through the Franklin Strait. It was unclear why the' Thamesborg' chose a more easterly routing. The Canadian Coast Guard deployed the buoy lighthouse vessel CCGS 'Sir Wilfrid Laurier' (IMO: 8320456) to assist. The light icebreaker was positioned around 150 nautical miles to the southwest at the time of the incident and arrived on scene within around nine hours. Also the cargo vessel 'Miena Desgagnes' (IMO: 9700380) diverted from its route from Montral to Becancour and was standing by at the grounding site off the southwest corner of Prince of Wales Island in the Peel Sound. On Sep 8, the tug ''Jean Goodwilll' (IMO: 9199634) was on site too. There were no injuries to crew, and no pollution occurred as a result of the incident. The fuel tanks of the vessel and its cargo holds were all intact, while multiple ballast tanks were flooded, but not affecting the vessel's stability. An ROV was used to complete an inspection of the hull. The crew of the 'Thamesborg' was making a further assessments of potential damage to the ship, and salvage experts were discussing further steps for the safe refloating of the vessel, which routinely sails the Nortwest Passage, connecting China anf Canada. The route via the Arctic is around 3,750 nautical miles shorter than the traditional way via the Panama Canal and saves around 14 days in travel time and reduces emissions by 40 %. The situation of the 'Thamesborg' with the assisting ships nearby remained unchanged as of Sep 10. Report with photo: https://www.nnsl.com/home/response-continues-to-ship-run-aground-in-northwest-passage-8240993