Grounded Arctic ship set afloat again

No injuries reported as passengers taken off vessel

KUGAARUK, Nunavut — A passenger ship is back in the chilly Arctic Ocean after it ran aground early Friday between mainland Nunavut and Baffin Island.

The Canadian Coast Guard confirmed via email Saturday that the icebreaker Canadian Coast Guard Ship Amundsen and its helicopter were at the scene, while a second vessel, Canadian Coast Guard Ship Pierre Radisson, would arrive later in the day.

Coast Guard spokeswoman Lauren Solski said the ship still appears seaworthy despite the accident, although an inspection was underway Saturday.

“It is floating and very stable. No injuries or oil leaks have been reported,” said Solski.

In a tweet Friday, the Coast Guard said the vessel was grounded near Kugaaruk, Nunavut, but was in stable condition.

Tour operator One Ocean Expeditions said in a media release the Akademik Ioffe became grounded in the western Gulf of Boothia on Friday morning.

It said all passengers were safe and being well taken care of, and there were no reports of environmental concern.

Solski said the passengers would be transferred to the Akademik Ioffe’s sister ship, the Akademik Sergey Vavilov, and would be taken to Kugaaruk for a flight south. The Coast Guard tweeted Saturday afternoon that all passengers had safely switched ships and there were no injuries.

The tour company, which has a mailing address in Squamish, B.C., said the captain has reported the incident to federal and territorial agencies.

On its website, the tour operator describes the 117metre Akademik Ioffe as a “modern, comfortable, safe and ice-strengthened” vessel that can host 96 passengers and 65 staff and crew.

It says the tour operator’s three vessels were purpose-built to conduct sensitive hydro-acoustic research and science in the polar regions.

Solski confirmed travel arrangements for the ship would be determined once the Coast Guard and Transport Canada had finished investigating its condition.