Coast Guard rescues 6 crew after tanker runs aground off Nova Scotia
by The Canadian Press
The tanker, which was headed to Mexico and had no cargo, ran aground just north of Sydney Mines around after losing engine power
SYDNEY, N.S.—The Canadian Coast Guard says six crew members were safely rescued from a tanker that ran aground off Nova Scotia Sunday.
Anne Miller, a regional director with the coast guard’s Atlantic region, said the Arca 1 ran aground just north of Sydney Mines around Sunday morning after losing engine power.
Miller said the small tanker was in the Atlantic region en route to Mexico with no cargo on board when it experienced mechanical difficulties.
She said the vessel, which was carrying 15 tonnes of fuel for its own engines, was headed to Sydney to address those issues when it ran aground.
“Relative to what a tanker can carry, 15 tonnes is not a lot,” said Miller in a phone Jan. 8 interview.
Miller said a Cormorant helicopter safely removed the six crew members from the ship and brought them to Sydney.
She said there have been no reports of pollution and the ship’s hull has not been seriously damaged.
Federal officials were monitoring the ship and the coast guard’s environmental response group was en route to determine next steps, said Miller.
“We have a (Department of Fisheries and Oceans) surveillance plane that is working out of Sydney,” she said.
“Once the coast guard’s environmental response group is at the area, we will be setting up an incident command post in Sydney to co-ordinate the operation and coast guard is working with the owners on the development of a response plan.”
The website MarineTraffic.com said the Arca 1 was built in 1963 and its home port is Montreal.
