Troubled ship safely returned … again
MV Baby Leeyn arrives back in Argentia
The MV Baby Leeyn is safely back in port.
The troubled ship, which has a history of three years in this province, under its former name MV Jana, arrived back in Argentia Monday just before 8 a.m.
It left Argentia Saturday and reported engine trouble just after midnight.
The tug Placentia Hope was one of two tugs that responded to secure the ship overnight on Saturday. The other tug, Beverly M from Argentia, was hired by the owners of the MV Baby Leeyn to secure a towline on the vessel and was able to do so for a short period. But it became disengaged due to high winds and waves that crested to nearly four metres.
The Canadian Coast Guard ship Sir William Alexander accompanied the tugs, and a Provincial Airlines reconnaissance flight was to take place at 7 a.m. Monday.
Crews were able to anchor the ship in 20 metres of water approximately 1.4 nautical miles from land, south of Lears Cove, until the weather and seas improved enough for the
Placentia Hope to tow the ship back to port overnight Sunday.
Weather and sea conditions improved significantly overnight, but strong winds and waves continued in the area.
The MV Baby Leeyn (formerly known as the MV Jana) is 132 metres long. It is owned by Blue
Shark Shipping and is flagged through Panama.
Under its old name — Jana — 11 crewmembers, many from the Ukraine, were stranded in Newfoundland since their ship’s main engine shaft broke in 2014. The vessel was towed into the Port of Argentia.
The former owner of the ship did not pay their wages, and as supplies ran out, residents donated food, winter clothes, money and even laptops.
It is unknown how many of the original crew is still with the ship.
An environmental response team and equipment was set up in St. Brides as a precautionary measure.
The ship was not carrying any freight, but was reported to have 35 tons of marine diesel fuel, and 250 tons of heavy fuel on board.
No pollution release was detected, and no injuries to the 11 crewmembers on board were reported.
Meanwhile, in a news release later Monday, Marine Atlantic said the vessel collided with its docking infrastructure Saturday.
While details are still being investigated, the MV Baby Leeyn, a privately owned and operated vessel, veered off course while departing the port of Argentia, striking Marine Atlantic’s main dock, Marine Atlantic said.
A full damage assessment of the docking infrastructure will take place in the near future, Marine Atlantic said, adding it is working with the appropriate authorities and insurance companies to determine how this incident occurred and the responsibility for damages.