Vessel in distress off ecological reserve

The Canadian Coast Guard search and rescue is monitoring a bulk carrier with 11 people on board that was drifting just under three nautical miles south of Cape St. Mary’s Ecological Reserve as of deadline.

The MV Baby Leeyn (formerly known as the MV Jana) is 132 metres long. It left Argentia Nov. 25 and reported engine trouble just after midnight.

The crew is working on fixing the engine, but responders are standing by.

The CCG Ship Sir William Alexander is en route was expected to arrive Sunday evening.

The owner has hired a tug which is on scene. The tug made an attempt to attach a tow-line, but reports say first efforts were not successful.

A Provincial Airlines surveillance plane was on scene monitoring the vessel Sunday night.

The Coast Guard contracted a second tug, the Placentia Hope, to provide assistance, as required, in this operation.

The vessel had not declared a distress signal Sunday night however search and rescue resources are on stand-by.

The MV Baby Leeyn is owned by Blue Shark Shipping and is flagged through Panama.

The vessel is not carrying any freight but is reported to have 35 tonnes of marine diesel fuel, and 250 tonnes of heavy fuel on board.

The coast guard directed the owner to prepare a response plan and take any required actions and the coast guard is assisting with the implementation.

As of deadline, the vessel had managed to deploy its anchor but was still drifting closer to the rocks.

It’s not the first time the vessel has run into trouble in Newfoundland waters. In its former incarnation as the MV Jana the ship experienced engine trouble and was forced to tie up in Argentia, where its crew, eight Ukrainians and three Russians were stranded at the port for months after the Jana’s former owners did not pay them.