Fuel tanker

aground in Nunavut

A fuel tanker that ran aground in western Nunavut on the Canadian Coast is not leaking any oil according to the Canadian Coast Guard. The ship called The Nanny is stuck about 30 kilometres from Gjoa Haven, Nunavut. It is not known what the ship is stuck on. The 110-metre vessel is operated by a subsidiary of Woodward's, Coastal Shipping Ltd., of Goose Bay, N.L. The 6,500-tonne, steel-hulled vessel was built in 1993. The owners are planning to refloat the ship possibly by shifting or unloading cargo until the ship is free.

Larry Trigatti

Coast Guard

Superintendent of Environmental Response for the Arctic

"There is no damage reported on the vessel, there is no water entering the vessel, the crew is safe and we are working with Transport Canada and the vessel owners to determine a safe course of action. Crew from the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Henry Larsen and Transport Canada officials flew over the scene and spotted nothing leaking from the ship.”

The Nanny is the third ship to run aground in Nunavut waters in the last month. Another Woodward's tanker, the Mokami, ran aground near Pangnirtung in early August, though no oil leaked during that incident. On Aug. 27, the cruise ship Clipper Adventurer got stuck on an uncharted rock in three metres of water near Kugluktuk. 120 passengers had to be removed from the ship. No one was hurt.

John Falkingham

Sea Ice Consultant Ottawa

Last week's incident underlines the inadequate charting of Arctic waters. It is the single biggest issue in the Arctic."