The Maritime Disciplinary Court of the Netherlands has suspended the certificates of competency of both the master and chief officer of the Dutch cargo vessel Thamesborg. This follows the vessel’s grounding in the Franklin Strait, part of Canada’s Northwest Passage, in September 2025.
The master received a six-week suspension, half of which was suspended, while the chief officer, who was serving as officer of the watch (OOW) at the time of the incident, received a three-week suspension, with two weeks suspended.
Also read: Wagenborg vessel runs aground in Northwest Passage
Grounding
The Thamesborg is a modern ice-class vessel part of the Wagenborg fleet, which was on its way from Asia to Baie Comeau on the East coast of Canada, when it ran aground in the Franklin Strait off Prince of Wales Island on 6 September 2025. The ship was carrying more than 19,000 tonnes of carbon anodes. The Franklin Strait is an Arctic waterway in Northern Canada’s territory of Nunavut. It is located between southeastern Prince of Wales Island and the Boothia Peninsula and is part of the Northwest Passage.
The ship was sailing at a speed of 14 knots when it ran aground on an uncharted shoal. The incident caused damage to several tanks and compartments, resulting in flooding, and the vessel remained stranded for more than a month before being refloated.
Also read: Wagenborg refloats Thamesborg in Canadian Arctic
CATZOC C and echo sounder not used properly
According to the Court, both the master and the chief officer failed to take sufficient account of the increased risks associated with navigating in a Category Zone of Confidence (CATZOC) C area, where the reliability of hydrographic data is limited. The master had altered the planned route into a less reliably surveyed area despite the availability of a safer alternative.
In addition, the vessel’s speed was not reduced to reflect the conditions and the echo sounder was not used properly to continuously monitor the under-keel water depth. The Maritime Disciplinary Court concluded that both officers had failed to comply with the standards of good seamanship.
Also read: Dutch Disciplinary Court suspends licence of Muntgracht OOW
Understanding the Northwest Passage
The Court also said that the increasing use of the Northwest Passage highlights the need for mariners to fully understand the limitations of navigation charts in low-category CATZOC areas and to make proper use of all available navigational aids, including the echo sounder.
Picture: Dutch-flagged vessel MV Thamesborg pictured aground in the Franklin Strait, on 8 September 2025 (photo by the Canadian Coast Guard).
