Bulk Carrier Grounds in St. Lawrence Seaway
A 621-foot bulk carrier ran aground near Wellesley Island in the St. Lawrence River, Monday. The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) is responding.
The Bahamian-flagged motor vessel Juno is aground in the vicinity of Wellesley Island, in the St. Lawrence River, New York, and is taking on water in one of the forward ballast tanks. The vessel is slightly listing to port with 18-feet of water in the forward peak of the vessel. There are no reported injuries to the crew, and no reported pollution.
The ship was transiting a sugar cargo inbound from the St. Lawrence Seaway to the Port of Toronto when it suffered a steering casualty and ran hard aground.
At about 1:10 a.m., a watchstander at Coast Guard Sector Buffalo received a report from the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation of a bulk carrier that was hard aground in the vicinity of the Thousands Islands Bridge. The vessel did not come in contact with the bridge.
Vessel navigation is currently suspended in the vicinity of the grounding. There are three other vessels in the area waiting for the navigational channel to reopen.
USCG marine inspectors from the Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment Massena, New York, are on board the Juno with SLSDC representatives conducting an initial investigation along with the SLSDC. A crew from Coast Guard Station Alexandria Bay responded to enforce the waterway closure and monitor the situation.