Clipper Adventurer
Coronation Gulf, Arctic Circle | Canada
The grounding event primarily affected the mid-ship area of the hull, extending longitudinally along the length of the bilge keels. This incident occurred in a location exposed to the harsh conditions of strong cold fronts, resulting in significant wind and swell activity.
A total of 13 double bottom tanks were breached, with damage extending from the fore peak to well aft of amidships. Additionally, there was noticeable deflection of the bottom structure in the vicinity of the auxiliary machine space. It's important to note that the stranding site was located offshore and not in proximity to any commercial airport. Therefore, personnel were flown into Yellowknife and subsequently transferred via chartered float planes to the offshore location.
Essential equipment was transported via chartered flights directly from Ft. Lauderdale, FL, to Cambridge Bay. Subsequently, the salvage equipment was loaded onto an Anchor Handling Tug Supply (AHTS) vessel for transportation to the stranding site. Throughout this process, close coordination and collaboration with the Canadian Coast Guard were maintained.
To mitigate the impact of the grounding, several measures were undertaken. This included defueling the vessel by transferring the bunkers to a tank barge and lightering other weights to reduce the ground reaction. Ultimately, the vessel was successfully refloated with the assistance of three tugboats.