Kevin Wilson
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (Oct 01/01) - If you're shipping materials for home improvements on the Lady Franklin, a word of warning: you will be delayed.

Iqalungmiut awaiting the Lady Franklin's last arrival are high and dry, for the time being. The vessel suffered ice damage, forcing the cancellation of its final trip. The cargo will arrive on another ship in mid-October. - NNSL file photo

The MV Lady Franklin was supposed to make its last delivery of the sealift season over the weekend. Instead, she is in drydock undergoing repairs after suffering severe damage to her propeller in Lancaster Sound on Sept. 3.

"We had to send a tug for the vessel from Quebec City," said Colin Crosbie, president of A. Crosbie Shipping, which operates the MV Lady Franklin.

Marj Lalonde just wants her table and chair set.

"It's supposed to come now between Oct. 10 and 15," she said from her perch at Iqaluit's Wizard's Cafe Kiosk in Tumiit Plaza.

The empty Lady Franklin was just out of Nanisivik, having delivered a load when her screw, or propeller, struck a slab of multi-year sea ice.

"The ice got jammed between the screw and the hull," crippling the ship, said Crosbie.

A Coast Guard vessel had to tow the ship to safety in Nanisivik.

Crosbie said that while insurance will cover the costs of damage to the ship, his company had to scramble to make alternative arrangements to honour its contracts to people who had paid for cargo to be shipped.

What's more, they stopped taking orders immediately after the accident.

"If the vessel hadn't suffered the damage, we would've shipped between 700 and 800 tonnes of cargo," said Crosbie. "It's fairly costly, but it's one of the things we have to deal with," he added.

Instead, between 350 to 400 tonnes of cargo will be shipped on vessels to resupply Iqaluit.

"It's one of those things," said Crosbie." We sometimes get complacent about operating in the North and this is a kind of wake up call."