Cargo Ship Freed After Grounding Off Devon on New Year’s Eve

A large cargo vessel was left stranded for several hours on New Year’s Eve after running aground near the Devon coast. The bulk carrier Scot Pioneer encountered problems in Teignmouth Harbour shortly after 5 pm on Wednesday, prompting nearby boats to assist.

The 3,600-ton ship was not successfully refloated until the early hours of New Year’s Day. Eight crew members were on board at the time, and authorities confirmed there were no injuries or damage to the vessel. Teignmouth Harbour Master Rob Parsons described the refloating operation as “challenging”.

Speaking to the BBC, he said: “We tried to get her off but, Mother Nature, you’ll never win when the water is leading.”

Harbor crews returned to the Scot Pioneer at around 1:30 am to make another attempt to move the vessel.

Mr. Parsons added: “We all climbed off about 03:30, wishing everyone a happy new year.”

He confirmed the 90-meter ship, which is registered in Inverness, was freed at approximately 3:15 am. The Coastguard later confirmed the vessel was successfully refloated at high tide, according to DevonLive.

Reports indicate the Scot Pioneer first ran into difficulty in Teignmouth at around 5:25 pm on New Year’s Eve. The bow of the ship became lodged on a sandbank, while the stern remained in the fishing channel, DevonLive reported.

The vessel had been sailing from Hamburg, Germany, to Teignmouth after departing on Boxing Day, according to marine traffic data from VesselFinder. The same source noted this is the second large ship to run aground in Teignmouth Harbour within the past year.

In April last year, another cargo vessel, Scot Bay, was stuck for nearly 12 hours before being released following a coordinated recovery effort led by the harbor master.