http://www.boston.com/dailynews/225/world/Major_marine_link_between_Cana:.shtml

Major marine link between Canada and U.S. closed after ship accident

By Associated Press, 8/13/2001 15:29

ALLANBURG, Ontario (AP) A canal linking Lakes Ontario and Erie, a major shipping link on the St. Lawrence Seaway, was closed Monday after a cargo vessel smashed into a drawbridge over the weekend and burst into flames.

Twenty five vessels were waiting to cross the Welland Canal which allows passage between the two lakes, joined naturally by Niagara Falls while cleanup of the ship was underway.

''The bridge is in a low position. They're trying to raise it as high as possible so the ships can travel under it safely,'' said Sylvie Moncion of the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation.

The link has been closed since Saturday, when the 732-foot long Windoc, carrying a shipment of wheat, smashed into the bridge. The bridge hit the ship as it was being lowered, shearing off the ship's smokestack and wheelhouse.

The rear portion of the Windoc burst into flames. Two of the ship's 22 crew members were treated for minor injuries.

''The fire started in the engine and the accommodation area,'' said Julie Herbert, spokesperson for the Transportation Safety Board. The board is investigating the accident.

Vessel traffic is not expected to resume until late Monday night, said Michel Drolet, Niagara Region vice president of the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp.

Fire crews used aerial ladder trucks from both sides of the canal to put out the blaze, which continued to smolder into Sunday afternoon.

The vessel, carrying 26,000 tons of wheat, was coming from Thunder Bay, Ontario. It was headed to lower ports on the St. Lawrence River. The ship is owned by N.M. Paterson and Sons Ltd., a Canadian grain and shipping company.

Officials said damage to the bridge and ship is expected to run into millions of dollars, although its extent will not be known for several days.

The Welland Canal ties together the St. Lawrence Seaway, a 2,294-mile transportation waterway that links central Canada with the Atlantic Ocean.

The waterway system connects Canada's western grain farmers to markets in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

-- Anonymous, August 14, 2001