Saint Laurent Cruise Ship Hits Wall, Injures 22 In New York’s Eisenhower Lock
The Saint Laurent cruise ship hit some problems on its way into an upstate New York lock bordering Canada. The vessel hit a wall, resulting in 22 injuries and forcing a partial evacuation.
When the large luxury passenger ship initially hit the Eisenhower Lock on the St. Lawrence Seaway on Thursday night, the reported injuries had been three crew members and 24 passengers. The number has since been updated to 22 total. The total attendance of the ship was 273, most of which were French and Swiss nationals.
The ship had entered the lock around 9 p.m., shortly before it struck the concrete wall and sustained enough damage to start taking on water, according to coast guard spokeswoman Lauren Laughlin. The lock’s doors were then locked and the water removed so the ship didn’t sink further.
The partial evacuation of the Saint Laurent cruise ship employed the use of ropes, ladders, and pulleys because the ship was not close enough to any dock. CBC News states that 10 other ships had been forced to stop because they couldn’t pass the collision site safely.
FleetPro said that those hurt in the collision were treated at Massena Memorial Hospital and released. The company stated that all of the injuries reported were minor.
The coast guard and salvage crew assessed the damage on Friday, in efforts to figure out how to move the passenger ship. Investigations are under way to determine what caused the collision with the Eisenhower Lock.
Montreal’s Saint Laurent cruise ship hits lock en route to Toronto: A cruise ship from Montreal has collided with… http://t.co/E7QPLFnSqU
— OnTheGroundNews.ca (@OTGNCanada) June 19, 2015
The passengers remaining were taken off the ship Friday afternoon and put on buses back to Montreal, and it is unknown when the Saint Laurent cruise ship will resume its voyage. The collision happened on the first day of a 10-day round trip, according to U.S. News.
Hopefully, the passengers and the ship will resume the voyage soon, and the cause of the crash determined for future reference.
[Image via The Cruise People]
