Passengers injured in Saint Laurent cruise ship crash

MASSENA, N.Y. (AP) — A cruise ship taking European tourists
to Ontario, Canada, crashed into a wall while entering a lock on the St.
Lawrence Seaway in northern New York, injuring 19 passengers and three crew
members, officials said Friday.

The U.S. Coast Guard said the 286-foot Saint Laurent was
headed from Montreal to Toronto when it hit a wall in the Eisenhower Lock in
Massena, near the Canadian border, shortly after 9 p.m. Thursday. There were
273 people on board, including 81 crew members and 192 passengers who are
mainly French and Swiss nationals.

The ship’s operator, Miami-based FleetPro, said 19
passengers and three crew members were treated at Massena Memorial Hospital and
released. The company said all the injuries were minor.

The Saint Laurent was entering the lock when it struck an
approach wall bumper, according to Petty Officer 2nd Class Lauren Laughlin of
the Coast Guard’s Cleveland-based Ninth District, which covers the St. Lawrence
River and the seaway. The impact punched a hole in the ship’s hull, causing it
to take on water, she said.

The lock’s doors were closed and the water drained out so
the boat wouldn’t sink, Laughlin said. A salvage crew and Coast Guard team were
assessing the damage Friday to determine how best to move the vessel, she said.

The Washington, D.C.-based Saint Lawrence Seaway Development
Corp. said the ship is stable and the uninjured passengers remained on board
overnight. The agency that operates the international shipping route said seven
commercial vessels are backed up in the seaway because of the accident. There
was no immediate estimate on when the lock would reopen.

FleetPro, formerly International Shipping Partners, said all
shipboard services are fully functional for passengers. The company said the
ship was a day into a 10-day roundtrip excursion out of Montreal, with stops in
between, when the accident occurred.

The passengers were disembarking the ship at the lock Friday
afternoon and put on buses that would take them back to Montreal.

The Saint Laurent is owned by Nassau, Bahamas-based
Adventurer Owner Ltd.

The crash remains under investigation.
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