DAMIA DESGAGNES

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Chief cook died of COVID-19

The chief cook aboard the 'Darnia Desgagnés' that docked in Sarnia has died from COVID-19. Renato Battisti, a Quebec native, was taken to hospital after contracting the virus while at sea. The Seafarers International Union of Canada said on a Facebook post shortly before noon on Nov 3, 2020, they were “deeply saddened to announce the tragic passing” of Battisti. Battisti was a “proud” member who will be missed by many, including his family, crewmates and fellow union members. “Our deepest condolences go out to his loved ones during this difficult time. Rest in peace, brother. You will always be remembered as a true COVID hero,” the statement said. Battisti worked for Quebec-based shipping firm Groupe Desgagnés and was the chief cook on several of its ships, most recently on the asphalt-bitumen-chemical tanker. The Groupe Desgagnés lowered its flags for three days starting on Nov 5 as a mark of respect. “Mr. Battisti has made his mark with his colleagues and will certainly have brought nothing but positive things to our fleet during these many years. The sudden death of Mr. Battisti in such circumstances is tragic and upsets us,” the company said. The vessel initially arrived at Sarnia Harbour on Sep 29 for an unplanned docking prompted by probable COVID-19 cases on board. Only one of the positive crew members was showing symptoms, but 19 crew members were placed in quarantine after testing. Lambton public health was monitoring five confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 14 close contacts in the transportation industry. The outbreak was the first instance of COVID-19 on any of the ships in the company’s fleet, but the Desgagnés Group had already established protocols and had practice with a few false alarms with crew members who fell ill with conditions that turned out not to be COVID-19

Tanker refloated

The "Damia Desgagnés" was refloated and towed to a quay at Prescott in eastern Ontario in the morning of June 17 to allow inspectors from the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) to investigate the reasons for the grounding. The ship, carrying 13,000 tonnes of petroleum products ran aground in the night of June 15 at 10.40 p.m. in the Morrisburg area between Cornwall and Brockville, Ontario. The tanker was coming from Montrealand bound to Nanticoke, Ontario. Once the salvage was completed, the St. Lawrence Seaway was able to reopen, leaving the passage free to all ships in the area. For unknown reasons, the tanker had suffered a breakdown of its propulsion system. Three TSB investigators were dispatched to take photographs and interview the company's employees and witnesses. The ship's builder was also on the scene to conduct its own investigation. The ship was new, having entered service only at the end of March. Report with photo: http://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1040273/navire-echoue-pres-morrisburg-remorque

Grounding on St. Lawrence River

The "Damia Desgagnes" ran aground in the early afternoon June 16, 2017, at 3 a.m. on the St. Lawrence River east of the Iroquois Lock. The tanker was sailing upstream bound from Montreal to Nanticoke. The grounding occurred because of a mechanical issue and the ship was resting against the side of the channel. No pollution and no injuries. The vessel currently had one tug on station and another tug was en route. Once the second tug has arrived, they pulled the vessel back into the channel. Until then, vessel traffic had been halted on the Seaway. There was a higher water flow, but the grounding had nothing to do with the high water flows.