Vessel previously grounded in St. Lawrence Seaway refloated, navigational channel open

APRIL 22, 2015

The motor vessel Juno sits aground under the Thousand Islands Bridge, April 20, 2015. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)

CLEVELAND – The motor vessel Juno, a 621-foot bulk carrier which ran agound in the vicinity of Wellesley Island in the St. Lawrence River, New York, was refloated about 7 a.m. Wednesday and is now safely anchored at Mason Point.

At 8 a.m. the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation re-opened the American Narrows to full navigation.

The Bahamian-flagged motor vessel Juno, carrying a load of sugar, ran aground Monday reportedly due to a loss of steering and took on water in one of the forward ballast tanks, however, these tanks were empty prior to the grounding, and there has been no report of pollution.

Contracted salvage personnel arrived on scene late Monday evening, and hired tugs arrived late Tuesday morning to assist in refloating the vessel.

Vessel owners reported Tuesday morning the steering malfunction has been fixed.

A unified command, consisting of the U.S. Coast Guard, the Canadian Coast Guard, the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, Saint Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation, Polsteam USA, Seaway Traffic, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Jefferson County, was stood up to manage the incident.

At about 1:10 a.m., Monday the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation notified a watchstander at Coast Guard Sector Buffalo of the grounding. The vessel did not come in contact with the bridge.

Coast Guard marine inspectors from the Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment Massena, New York, remain on board the Juno with SLSDC representatives conducting an initial investigation. A crew from Coast Guard Station Alexandria Bay responded to enforce the waterway closure and monitor the situation.