Coast Guard, St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation respond to grounded vessel

St. Lawrence Seaway, N.Y. – Personnel from the U.S. Coast Guard and the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation responded to the grounding of the 670-foot motor vessel Federal St. Laurent, which ran aground near Massena, N.Y., along the St. Lawrence Seaway, at about 8 p.m. EST Monday.

No pollution or injuries were reported, and it has been determined to be safe for maritime traffic to pass the location where the vessel grounded.

After the Coast Guard was notified, investigators from Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment Massena, N.Y., and SLSDC arrived on scene and verified the crew performed soundings and draft checks of the Barbados-flagged bulk carrier. The MSD Massena investigator found the vessel grounded near the bow, well away from the vessel’s fuel tanks, eliminating any potential for pollution.

Federal St. Laurent, carrying titanium slag, was aground south of the channel 0.1 nautical mile east of Buoy 51 and 4.4 nautical miles west of Eisenhower Lock. The vessel has since gotten underway and is safely at anchorage where an underwater hull survey will be conducted.

The grounding of the Federal St. Laurent is under investigation and the cause will not be known until the investigation is complete.