U.S. Coast Guard
Orsula, Aground Near Tibbetts Point
The Orsula, Duluth's last 'saltie' of 2013 and bound for Italy, ran aground in the St. Lawrence Seaway on Christmas, just days before the Seaway closes for the winter.
UPDATE, 12/31/13: The Watertown Daily Times reports that the Orsula remains in the St. Lawrence Seaway on Tuesday night, nearly a day after the Seaway's scheduled close. Ice has delayed the passage of more than 20 ships, and it'll be several days before the damaged Orsula clears the Seaway.
The 656-foot Orsula, the last 'saltie' on Lake Superior this year, ran aground near the entrance to the St. Lawrence Seaway on Christmas, and the damaged oceangoing vessel may be stuck on the wrong side of the Seaway this winter.
Bound for Italy with 20,000 metric tons of durum wheat, the vessel had left Duluth six days earlier and was in the Seaway – scheduled to close for winter at 11:59 p.m. Monday – when it ran aground near Tibbetts Point in New York.
On Sunday evening, with the Seaway clock ticking, the U.S. Coast Guard and a salvage company helped re-float the vessel by lightering the Orsula's cargo to a barge.
A dive survey revealed "significant damage to the propeller," the Coast Guard said in a press release. The hull was in otherwise good condition, so ship and Seaway officials on Sunday cleared the Orsula for transit to Montreal, accompanied by the tug Salvor.
"No flooding, pollution or injuries occurred as a result of the grounding," the Coast Guard said. "At this point there are no risks to commerce or traffic in the area."
The Coast Guard is currently investigating the incident.