Major disaster averted as fully loaded Russian cargo ship Simushir goes adrift

The Russian cargo ship Simushir lost power due to a mechanical failure off Haida Gwaii, also known as the Queen Charlotte Islands, as it was on its way from Everett in Washington State to Russia cbc.ca. Since the ship carried large volumes of oil, there were fears that it could turn aground on the shores, hit the rocks and cause oil spill of hundreds of ton.

The Simushir is about 135 metre long and was carrying a range of hydrocarbons, mining materials and other related chemicals that included 400 tons of bunker oil and 50 tons of diesel. The vessel is not a tanker as such but rather a cargo ship.
Therefore, a large American tug boat is pulling the disabled Simushir to a port on British Columbia's north coast.
The Canadian Forces' Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Victoria have confirmed that the tug Barbara Foss had arrived, had secured a line to the Russian ship and the tow was progressing satisfactorily maintaining a safe distance from the west coastline of Haida Gwaii.
It seems the 10 crew members aboard the Simushir had attempted to repair the broken oil heater and, as a result, the vessel was left disabled.

The owners of the Russian vessel have apparently asked to have Simushir moved to Prince Rupert, the nearest container ship port, which is 93 nautical miles, or 171-Km away from where the tow operation began.