Oil leak from a ship near Montreal closes part of St. Lawrence Seaway

Oil leak closes part of Canada-US Seaway

MONTREAL — A section of the St. Lawrence Seaway remained closed Wednesday by an oil leak that occurred when a Canada Steamship Lines vessel ran aground near the Cote Sainte-Catherine lock, just south of Montreal.

Andrew Bogora, communications officer for the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp., said Wednesday that the leak has been contained.

Oil began gushing from the punctured fuel tank of the ship after it ran aground late Monday night when its engine failed in a storm, causing between 50 tons and 200 tons of oil to leak into the surrounding waters before the tank could be sealed. The ship was loaded with wheat.

“The vessel’s crew deployed booms, and Seaway management staff activated the Seaway’s Emergency Response Plan, quickly deploying resources to seal the lock at Cote Sainte-Catherine, and halt the current in the canal,” said Bogora.

He said the spill was contained by Tuesday within the canal above the lock, with no oil entering the lock or moving downstream. But about 1.3 miles (3 kilometers) of shoreline was affected by the slick, and about 15 birds have been found covered in oil along the shore.

Nine vessels have been delayed by the seaway closure, Bogora said.

He said the affected area of the seaway will remain closed to all water traffic until the cleanup is complete, and that could take a few days.

Canada Steamship Lines, at one time owned by former Prime Minister Paul Martin, is Canada’s largest maritime shipping company. Martin passed the company to his sons in 2003.