Oil Spill Closes St. Lawrence Seaway

A freighter carrying wheat ran aground near Montreal, after losing power.

The ship hit a bank near the Cote Ste-Catherine locks on Monday night around 7:30 p.m., causing its fuel tank to be punctured.

The environmental emergency response team reported that a breach was fixed but that some of the bunker oil leaked into the waterway.

An estimated 50 to 200 tons of oil leaked into the St. Lawrence river south of Montreal. Workers deployed boom around the ship to contain the leak. Despite efforts to contain the leak, two to three kilometers of shoreline were affected by the oil slick.

The seaway is closed to allow for the cleanup, which could take several days.

Neighboring towns were alerted to monitor their potable water supply.

The damaged 200 meter freighter, RICHELIEU, is owned by Canada Steamship Lines.