Operation postponed to unload cargo from ship stuck in St. Lawrence River

An operation to off-load thousands of tonnes of corn from a ship that ran aground in the St. Lawrence River northeast of Montreal has been postponed to the weekend.

The plan had been to start unloading the MV Maccoa Thursday, but Fisheries and Oceans Canada said the barges needed to carry the corn are still being readied in Quebec City.

Once ready, the barges from the company Ocean Group will make the 20-hour journey to an area near Verchères, Que., where the Cyprus-flagged 185-metre bulk carrier ran aground in the early hours of Dec. 24, said Amélie Boisjoly-Lavoie, acting deputy superintendent of the Canadian Coast Guard’s marine hazards and environmental response team.