Canadian Coast Guard Icebreaker Runs Aground

By Wendy Laursen 04-01-2015 07:12:18

The Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker Ann Harvey struck a rocky shoal off the south coast of the island of Newfoundland on Wednesday.

The vessel was five nautical miles southwest of Burgeo doing routine work on buoys at the time of the accident.

It has now been moved and is at anchor, while the crew deal with the vessel’s flooded engine room and damaged electrical motors.

Twenty-six crew and two cadets were on board at the time of the grounding. All are safe, reports the Canadian Coast Guard, but the two cadets and two other non-essential crew are being evacuated.

The remainder of the crew will remain on board for now. The vessel is not in immediate danger of sinking, and pumps are keeping up with the ingress of water.

The Canadian Coast Guard Ship Louis S. St-Laurent is expected to tow the vessel to a sheltered harbor for repairs.

There was no marine pollution from the incident.

Ann Harvey, built in 1987, is a Canadian Coast Guard Buoy tender and SAR vessel with light icebreaker duties.