On 14th Dec, a 35,000-ton ship laden with wheat ran aground in the Columbia River hours after leaving the Port of Vancouver and suffered water ingress. It was safely escorted by tugs to the Port of Longview Friday morning, where it was due to be examined and repaired.
The vessel, the KM London, is a 656-foot bulk carrier that was drawing 42 feet of water when it ran aground near Crims Island, a few miles downriver from Longview near the hamlet of Stella.
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the vessel ran aground on the north side of the navigational channel. Water began leaking into two forward compartments, but the crew followed its emergency response plan and was able to get the flooding under control.
A pilot was aboard the ship and notified the Coast Guard of the grounding at 8:10 p.m. After it was reported, the Coast Guard sent an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and a 29-foot response boat to check for oil leaking into the river, but none was spotted. No injuries were reported.
The vessel was refloated on Friday morning’s high tide with the help of three tugs, which helped it to the Port of Longview.
Engineers and divers inspected the vessel throughout the day, but the damage appeared minor enough to be repairable in Longview, the reports say.
It was not clear what caused the vessel to veer out of the channel, and the cause remained under investigation.
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Source: The Columbian
