APRIL 22, 2015
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.