A cruise ship, The Saint Laurent, taking European tourists to Ontario, Canada, crashed into a wall entering a lock on the St. Lawrence Seaway in northern New York, at around 9 p.m. Thursday evening, injuring 19 passengers and three crew members, officials said Friday.
Officials stated there were 274 passengers and crew aboard and most were French nationals, though it's unclear if there were any Canadians on board, according to the Toronto Sun.
The ship's operator, Miami-based FleetPro, said that the injured were treated at Massena Memorial Hospital and promptly released. The company said the injuries were minor.
Apparently 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 hole in the ship's hull, causing it to take on water, she stated.
Luckily the situation was contained quickly. The lock's doors were closed and the water drained out so the boat wouldn't sink. A salvage crew and Coast Guard team were on the scene to assess the damage in order to determine how best to move the vessel, Laughlin said.
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 round-trip excursion out of Montreal, with stops in between, when the accident occurred; according to Newsday.
The passengers were disembarking the ship at the lock Friday afternoon and put on buses that would take them back to Montreal. The company said it didn't know yet if the trip to Toronto would be resumed, according to ABC news.
The Saint Laurent is owned by Nassau, Bahamas-based Adventurer Owner Ltd.
The crash remains under investigation.
