A salvage plan has been approved by the Unified Command overseeing the ship stuck in the St. Lawrence Seaway off Galop Island, reports Northen Newyork Newspapers 360.
Rt. Hon. Paul J. Martin
The Rt. Hon. Paul J. Martin, a 740-foot vessel, ran aground Sunday evening en route to Quebec City. The vessel is loaded with iron ore and ships fuel.
The tugs, Ocean Echo and the Ocean Comeau, are both bound upriver near Montreal.
The Paul J. Martin, a bulk carrier with a cargo of iron ore, was en route to Quebec City when it ran aground late at night on Oct. 6.
No injuries reported
The United States Coast Guard reports that the ship is stable and that there were no injuries associated with the grounding.
Navigation has been slowed, but has continued since the incident.
Salvage operations underway
Salvage operations began on the afternoon of Oct 10, according to Ensign Josoph Neff of the United States Coast Guard.
An estimated 5,000 metric tons of iron ore will be removed from the vessel and offloaded onto awaiting barges to lighten the vessel.
The Seaway in the vicinity of Galop Island will be closed to all vessel traffic during salvage operations.
Protection of resources
The Coast Guard continues to work with federal, state, local, tribal, and Canadian agencies to ensure the protection of natural resources and the transportation infrastructure of the St. Lawrence Seaway.
The cause of the incident remains under investigation.
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Source: Northern Newyork Newspapers 360
