(Image: Keven Lavoie; abandoned cargo ship Kathryn Spirit)
From her launch in May 1967 to the day she was withdrawn from service in 2011, the 12,300 deadweight ton cargo ship Kathryn Spirit enjoyed a relatively uncomplicated existence. But in the five years since, the condition of the abandoned bulk carrier has been a cause for concern. Poised for scrapping, the rusting hulk of the Kathryn Spirit lies derelict on the shores of Lake Saint-Louis in southwestern Quebec, Canada. This article gives a brief history of the ship, accompanied by a series of photographs of its abandoned form.
(Image: Keven Lavoie)
Built for SCA Transport at Gothenburg, Sweden, in 1967, the open hatch bulk carrier originally flew the Swedish flag under the name Holmsund. Like her sister ships Munksund and Tunadal, she was equipped with a gantry crane and carried pulp and forest products between her owner’s various ports.
(Image: Keven Lavoie)
After 26 years service with SCA Transport (later SCA Transforest), Holmsund was sold to Gorthon Lines. Soon after, in 1997, the cargo ship changed hands again. Renamed Menominee, she passed to the Norwegian operator Great Lakes-European Shipping.
(Images: Keven Lavoie)
Her final call of duty came in 2006, when the Swedish-built bulk carrier was purchased by McKeil Marine Ltd of Hamilton, Ontario, and given the name that her rusting hull still bears today: Kathryn Spirit. In that guise she plied the mighty Saint Lawrence Seaway, transporting wheat from Churchill, Manitoba to Halifax, Nova Scotia.
(Image: Keven Lavoie)
By the close of the first decade of the 21st century, however, the old cargo ship was beginning to show her age. The decision was ultimately taken to withdraw her from service completely in 2011, and Kathryn Spirit was sold for scrap to the Groupe St-Pierre. But her final chapter would be beset by controversy.
(Images: Keven Lavoie)
The breakers planned to dismantle the decaying hulk of Kathryn Spirit at Beauharnois on the shores of Lake Saint-Louis. But city officials, concerned about the abandoned cargo ship’s poor state and its potentially negative impact on the surrounding environment, halted the scrapping.
(Image: Keven Lavoie)
As a result, the increasingly-neglected vessel was sold to the Mexican company Reciclajes Ecológicos Marítimos. An ageing Bolivian-flagged tug, the Craig Trans, was duly dispatched to tow Kathryn Spirit south. The bizarre saga continued as the tug was impounded by Transport Canada due to safety concerns. All the while, Kathryn Spirit’s condition deteriorated further.
(Image: Keven Lavoie)
As 2016 rolled around, the abandoned cargo ship was so dilapidated that the hulk was considered a major pollution risk in the waters of the Saint Lawrence River. In November 2016, CBC News reported that the derelict form of the Kathryn Spirit sat aground on the South Shore of Montreal. The decision was taken to scrap the abandoned vessel where she lay.
(Image: Keven Lavoie)
Transport Minister Marc Garneau told CBC that an embankment would be built around the Kathryn Spirit to isolate her from the surrounding marine environment. “The government of Canada recognises the risks that abandoned, derelict and wrecked vessels pose to safe navigation, the marine environment, public health and local economies,” he said.
(Image: Keven Lavoie)
Julie Gascon, the deputy commissioner of the Canadian Coast Guard, added that the vessel would be broken up on site due to its hazardous state. She said: “The situation with the vessel is stable, however, building the embankment is a priority in order to isolate completely the vessel from the environment.”
Fan of atmospheric shipwrecks? If so don’t miss our round-up of 11 Abandoned Ferries, Ocean Liners, Cruise Ships & Hovercraft.
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