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IQALUIT
A cargo ship suffered damage after colliding with an iceberg earlier this month in Frobisher Bay.

The Canadian Coast Guard Ship Des Groseilliers, foreground, escorts the cargo ship Anna Desgagnes through Frobisher Bay on July 25. - photo courtesy of the Canadian Coast Guard

The Nunavut Sealink and Supply Inc. (NSSI) ship Zelada Desgagnes was damaged at the ballast tank level as it entered the bay, said Waguih Rayes, general manager of Desgagnes Transarctik. The ship is still anchored outside Iqaluit.

"It is not something that puts this ship into a situation where it is not seaworthy. The only thing, there are restrictions now. This ship cannot navigate in ice," he said. "This ship has to be brought back for repairs and then she will be put back on the sealift schedule towards the end of the season."

The vessel will not be allowed to resume navigation until Transport Canada is satisfied it can operate safely, stated Transport Canada spokesperson Glyniss Hutchings in an e-mail. She further stated no injuries and no pollution were reported as a result of the damage.

Ships were still under icebreaker escort transiting Frobisher Bay on July 27. The Canadian Coast Guard Ships Terry Fox and Des Groseilliers escorted NSSI's Anna Desgagnes and Nunavut Eastern Arctic Shipping's (NEAS) the Qamutik, arriving in Iqaluit July 27.

Rayes said the Anna Desgagnes had been waiting for a week to enter the territorial capital.

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