Bulker Grounds in St. Lawrence Seaway

The U.S. Coast Guard is responding to a 621-foot bulk carrier which ran aground in the vicinity of Wellesley Island, in the St. Lawrence River, New York, on Monday.

The motor vessel is aground and 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 Juno, a Bahamian-flagged bulk carrier with a load of sugar, was transiting inbound from the St. Lawrence Seaway to the Port of Toronto.

A watchstander received the news from the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation that the bulk carrier 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 re-open.

Coast Guard marine inspectors are on board the Juno conducting an initial investigation.

Not the first grounding

The first ship to travel up the St. Lawrence Seaway this spring ran aground after hitting a large ice floe earlier this month.

The newly-built Canadian bulk carrier CWB Marquis ran aground about 35km southwest of Montreal. The vessel’s departure through the St. Lambert Lock marked the official opening of the Seaway’s 57th navigation season.