Damaged ship allowed to leave Columbia River

A bulk grain carrier that ran aground in the Columbia River on March 21 has been cleared to depart, despite a huge boulder left embedded in its hull.

The temporary repairs made the 623-foot M/V Sparna seaworthy enough to leave the Port of Kalama, where it was taken after the grounding near Cathlamet, downstream of Longview, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

“We have inspected the Sparna and have approved the temporary repairs to make the vessel seaworthy,” said Lt. Cmdr. Ben Russell, chief inspections department, Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Portland. “Our inspection team has monitored the planning and implementation of the repairs over the last two months. We are comfortable with the outcome and wish the crew of the Sparna a safe voyage across the Pacific Ocean.”

According to marine traffic websites, the Sparna departed Kalama on Monday morning and cleared the Columbia River bar later that day.

The boulder in the hull was encased in steel and concrete for the voyage, according to the Coast Guard.

The grounding occurred at 12:16 a.m. in a narrow part of the river, while the vessel had a river pilot aboard.

At the time of the grounding, the Sparna was headed to Otaru, Japan from Portland, where it had taken on a full load of grain.

An inspection shortly after the accident showed two compartments of the ship were flooded, and there were several fractures in the hull. The largest was 25 feet by 5 feet, and had a boulder lodged inside of it. Though the Sparna was loaded with fuel, no oil pollution was seen in the river.

The Sparna is owned by Santoku Senpaku, a shipping firm based in Osaka, Japan. According to the company’s website it operates 110 vessels calling on ports around the world. The Sparna, built in 2006, is registered in Panama.