Tundra Aground in St. Lawrence Seaway
By Aiswarya Lakshmi
Monday, June 22, 2015
The 185 meter long drybulk vessel MV Tundra (30,892dwt, built 2009) owned by Canfornav, part of the Canadian Forest Navigation Group, has run aground overnight on the St. Lawrence Seaway at Lancaster, Ontario in Canada.
The Tundra had veered a short distance out of the shipping channel and ran hard aground on a shoal. No reports of injuries.
Canfornav has a fleet of over 40 vessels dedicated to servicing the St. Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes. A Transportation Safety Board (TSB) of Canada spokesman said the Tundra has been investigated before, following another grounding incident in 2012.
The TSB says it is deploying a team to investigate the grounding.
The incident occurred just a few hours after the cruise ship Saint Laurent was refloated in a lock a short distance away in Massena. Saint Laurent hit a bumper in the Eisenhower Lock chamber, injuring 30 people and suspending navigation for 42 hours.
Vessel traffic on the St. Lawrence Seaway resumed at 4 p.m. Saturday after the vessel was refloated and removed from the lock. The closure delayed 15 vessels, the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation reported.
Authorities have deployed a team of investigators to assess the situation. Reports state that two tugs were dispatched to the scene to help refloat the bulker.