ST. JOHN'S, N.L. -- A disabled cargo ship was towed back into shore Monday after running into trouble in rough North Atlantic seas, just two days after it left the Newfoundland port it had been stuck in for years.
The Canadian Coast Guard said Monday that the MV Baby Leeyn arrived in the port of Argentia at about 8 a.m. local time after being towed by MT Placentia Hope and accompanied by the coast guard ship Sir William Alexander.
"We got everything back into port and we didn't have any release of pollutants," Larry Crann, a senior response officer with the Canadian Coast Guard, said from St. John's.
The Baby Leeyn's 11-person crew had set sail for Romania Saturday on what was to be the ship's first journey since being stuck in Argentia in 2014 when it experienced similar engine problems.
A surveillance aircraft watched from above as it was returned to port.
"When we look at these incidents, we take them very seriously and we want to make sure the owner is taking them seriously," Crann said.
The coast guard said weather and sea conditions had improved significantly since just after midnight Sunday, when the 132-metre cargo ship with nearly 300 tons of fuel onboard was hit with engine trouble.
The vessel had been drifting in rough seas, with gusting winds pushing waves up to about three metres.
MV Baby Leeyn carried no cargo when it left port from Argentia, and the coast guard said there are no reports of pollution release.
1/2 MV Baby Leeyn is now in port at Argentia, Newfoundland and Labrador. Our Environmental Response team did excellent work protecting the marine environment, no pollution detected and no injuries occurred. pic.twitter.com/IREH102ufB
— Canadian Coast Guard (@CCG_GCC) November 27, 2017
2/2 #Bravozulu to our partners @environmentca and @Transport_gc and the crews of the CCGS Sir William Alexander, Placentia Hope and Beverly M. pic.twitter.com/JdUk4Yrkts
— Canadian Coast Guard (@CCG_GCC) November 27, 2017