On Jan. 12 at approximately 6 a.m., the 425-foot cargo ship Alexandergracht was steaming through Head Harbour Passage, inbound for Eastport, when she lost power.

Using his experience, and training — as well as the ship’s two anchors and bow thruster — Eastport harbor pilot Capt. Gerald Morrison secured the vessel and kept a mishap from becoming a dangerous situation.

Subsequently, the vessel’s crew made repairs to the propulsion system, and a U.S. Coast Guard inspection team from Belfast allowed the ship to proceed to Eastport’s Estes Head cargo terminal.

The implications of such an event on the possible transit of liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers to proposed LNG facilities in Perry, Maine, was not lost on opponents of the planned development on both sides of the U.S.-Canadian border.

Greg Thompson, Member of Parliament for New Brunswick Southwest, whose district is adjacent to the proposed LNG facilities, said, “Incidents like the one involving the Dutch ship Alexandergracht in January remind us of why our government has taken a clear stand against LNG tankers in Passamaquoddy Bay.”

He concluded, “The proposed Maine locations for LNG facilities are not smart locations. They are not safe locations. And our government has a duty to protect Canadians, to defend our sovereignty over internal waters, and to safeguard our environment and economic interests.”

Morrison, the harbor pilot, countered that the special LNG tanker training he and fellow harbor pilot Capt. Bob Peacock have received enabled him to act as efficiently as he did.

He added, “One thing to keep in mind is that an LNG tanker would not be at that position during that state of tide/current and time of day. Coast Guard restrictions would only allow LNG tankers transit during ideal conditions, and in daylight. This incident occurred during darkness. The other thing to take into account is the current. This particular transit was done when the ebb current is the strongest, and it was a spring tide too.”

Morrison continued, “We had almost four knots of current directly on the bow. This is our normal transit window, to catch the last of the ebb to allow current on the bow while docking starboard-side-to at Estes Head. For a safe transit for Western Passage, we intend to pass through Head Harbour Passage during the last of the flood, just before high water. The current would be less than 1 knot and from astern. This would allow minimum current for Western Passage Transit and a slight ebb current for docking (current on the bow) at the two proposed LNG terminal sites. We would also have a three to four tug escort and in the event of a `situation’ we would use the current and tugs to safely take the vessel to the dock or to anchorage, whichever would be the safest to do. Capt. Bob Peacock, Capt. Jamie Matthews and I proved this in the LNG simulator that we attended last year.”

Morrison was widely praised for his actions during the power loss, and he has received a commendation from the Coast Guard.

However, he says, “One thing that has been left out of most other news stories is the support from all involved: the captain and crew of the vessel, the tug captain and crew, Commander Brian Downey of the Coast Guard, Fundy Traffic Control, the pilot boat, and Russell Selwood, the ship’s agent. Communication was the key issue. These guys are the ones that should receive the recognition, I was just doing my job.”