St. Lawrence Seaway Opens
The St. Lawrence Seaway has reopened with the first ship of the 2000 season passing through this week, the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. said. "We're up and running," corporation spokeswoman Sylvie Moncion said. Low water levels in the Great Lakes Basin have shippers concerned about potential problems later that could force ships to lighten loads. "Even though there are low water levels on the Great Lakes this year, this will not likely affect Seaway commerce until late in the summer, if at all," said corporation president Guy Veronneau. The corporation said the 1999 navigation season was average. Overall cargo through the Montreal/Lake Ontario and Welland Canal sections reached 47,840 million metric tons or 3.2 million tons less than in 1998.
Collision in Welland Canal Continues To Hamper St. Lawrence Seaway
Shipping on the St. Lawrence Seaway will remain badly disrupted for at least another day, Canadian marine authorities said on Monday, as an investigation continues into an accident in which a 730-ft. (222-m) freighter smashed into a lift bridge across the Welland Canal and burst into flames. The Canadian grain carrier Windoc, carrying 26,000 tons of wheat, struck the bridge after it began to lower prematurely. The collision, which took place late Saturday, tore off the ship's wheelhouse and smokestack, setting the stern of the vessel ablaze and lighting up the night sky over the small town of Allanburg, Ontario. The ship's crew of 22 escaped with minor injuries, but the accident shut down the Welland Canal linking Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, a key section of the St.
Great Lakes Shipping Returns to Normal
Shipping on the Great Lakes should be back to normal by early Monday evening, Canadian marine authorities said, as a 730-ft. freighter, which crashed into a lift bridge across the Welland Canal, has been towed away. "They're raising the bridge at the moment and they will have to make sure it (is secure) before telling the ships to move into the canal," said Sylvie Moncion, a spokeswoman for the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp., which operates the key marine route into central North America. Moncion said traffic on the Welland Canal portion of the Seaway system had been stalled by the accident, with 25 ships now waiting to go through the canal. She expected the canal to resume normal operations around 6:30 p.m. (2230 GMT).
