Anna Desgagnés sealift already off schedule, stuck near Montreal
Vessel scheduled to arrive in northern Quebec July 8, Nunavut July 17
A sealift ship that's scheduled to arrive in Nunavut later this month is stuck in the St. Lawrence River.
The M/V Anna Desgagnés was on its way to L'Îles-aux-Coudres, Que., 116 kilometres from Quebec City, when it went aground in the St. Lawrence River near Montreal.
The Transportation Safety Board has sent a team to Montreal to investigate exactly what happened.
The cargo vessel has scheduled stops in northern Quebec and Nunavut; its first is L'Îles-aux-Coudres. The vessel is supposed to arrive in Iqaluit by July 23.
Many people in Nunavut communities are depending on the arrival of the Anna Desgagnés for various items.
"Oh no, our car is on that," said Holly Uvilluk on Facebook.
With no roads into Nunavut, goods can only be sent in by air or ship.
No word on how quickly the Anna Desgagnés will get moving again.
Meanwhile the first icebreaker into Iqaluit, the CCGS Pierre Radisson, is set to arrive Monday. It was originally supposed to arrive this weekend, according to the Canadian Coast Guard, but arrival dates can change quickly along with the ice conditions in Frobisher Bay, the body of water that leads to Iqaluit.
As its name suggests, icebreakers break the ice that's still formed in the Arctic sea, so vessels like the Anna Desgagnés can make their way into the communities.