Cruise Ship Hits St. Lawrence Seaway Lock Wall

A cruise ship struck a lock wall in the Saint Lawrence Seaway upstate New York Thursday night, injuring several passengers, the U.S. Coast Guard reported.

 

There were 274 people, including passengers and crew, aboard the 286-foot vessel Saint Laurent when the ship allided with a wall in the Eisenhower Lock in Massena, New York.

 

Saint Laurent, owned by International Shipping Partners, remains in the drained lock while response crews remove injured passengers, the Coast Guard said. Local media reports indicate that at least 17 people suffered minor injuries.

 

The ship will remain in the lock with both doors closed until it can be moved to different location.

 

A search-and-rescue controller at Coast Guard Sector Buffalo received notification of the allision at 9:45 p.m. Thursday. 

 

The Coast Guard dispatched a crew aboard a 25-foot response boat from Coast Guard Station Alexandria Bay, New York, responded along with a marine inspector from Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment Massena.

 

The cause of the allision is under investigation.