Cruise Ship

OOE: Grounded Cruise Ship Refloated in Canadian Arctic

A passenger ship that ran aground in the Canadian Arctic on August 24 has been refloated, the vessel operator said.

Illustration. Image Courtesy: Pxhere under CC0 Creative Commons license

Akademic Ioffe, a cruise ship operated by One Ocean Expeditions (OOE), grounded in the western Gulf of Boothia on Friday morning.

Following the incident, Akademic Ioffe’s sister vessel Akademic Sergey Vavilov, as well as Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers and a helicopter, were immediately sent to the scene.

Once all systems were checked, the vessel was repositioned to anchor on August 25. All 102 passengers and 24 crew were also transferred by zodiac to the Akademic Sergey Vavilov.

After arriving in Kugaaruk, Nunavut, the passengers have landed in Edmonton, Alberta, for onward travel. All involved remain safe, the company said in an update.

In consultation with coast guard officials and the ship’s owner, Akademic Ioffe is awaiting confirmation of its next port of call where repairs to any damage from the grounding will be undertaken, according to the company.

As informed, there has been no environmental impact related to the incident.

“In the days and weeks ahead, we will continue to assist the ship’s owners and government agencies with their review of the incident,” OOE added.