Passenger vessel runs aground in the Far North; Coast Guard responding
Posted August 24, 2018 6:56 pm.
Last Updated August 24, 2018 8:16 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
KUGAARUK, Nunavut – A pair of Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers are responding after a passenger ship ran aground in the Far North.
The coast guard says in a tweet that the vessel ran aground near Kugaaruk, Nunavut, but is in stable condition, and no injuries or immediate danger have been reported.
In a media release, One Ocean Expeditions says the Akademik Ioffe became grounded in the western Gulf of Boothia on Friday morning.
It says all passengers are safe and that there has been no report of environmental concern.
The tour company, which has a mailing address in Squamish, B.C., says the captain has reported the incident to the relevant federal and territorial agencies.
It says the nearest vessel, the Akademik Ioffe’s sister ship the Akademik Sergey Vavilov, is providing support and assistance.
“We regret the inconvenience to our passengers and are working closely with the captain, ship owner and all relevant agencies to resolve the situation as quickly and safely as possible. We will provide updates as they become available,” Catherine Lawton, general manager of One Ocean Expeditions, said in the statement.
On its website, the tour operator describes the 117-metre Akademik Ioffe as a “modern, comfortable, safe and ice-strengthened” vessel that can host 96 passengers and 65 staff and crew.
The company says its three vessels were purpose-built to conduct sensitive hydro-acoustic research and science in the polar regions.
