St. Lawrence Seaway reopens after fuel spill
Freighter's fuel tank puncture repaired on Thursday
Last Updated: Thursday, July 15, 2010 | 7:43 PM ET
CBC News
Related
Internal Links
A key canal on the St. Lawrence Seaway has reopened three days after a leak spilled bunker fuel into the busy maritime lane south of Montreal.
A hole the size of a basketball found in the bulk carrier Richelieu's fuel tank was repaired on Thursday with the installation of a 10 metre-long steel plate "to seal the breach in the hull," said Canada Steamship Line, which owns the vessel.
Work crews are still mopping up diesel fuel that spread more than three kilometres along the shoreline after the Richelieu ran aground Monday night. It is not known how much fuel leaked from the ship.
The ship is moored at the Sainte-Catherine lock.
The spill delayed several other vessels waiting to pass through the canal. As of Thursday afternoon, 16 other freighters were lined up in the water.
The tie-up is costing the shipping industry about $150,000 a day, according to the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp.
Environmental damage has been minimal, "and it could have been worse," said Sonia Laforest, an Environment Canada spokeswoman.
About 12 birds were contaminated in the diesel spill, with half of them requiring veterinarian care at the University of Montreal.
Share Tools
Latest Montreal News Headlines
- Quebec students ready for tuition hike, says one leader
- The president of Quebec's College Student Federation (FECQ), Leo Bureau-Blouin, tells CBC Radio's The House that students "are ready for a compromise on the amount of a tuition hike," as the Quebec government and the province's student associations prepare to resume talks.
more »
- Tornado touchdown confirmed near Montreal
- Trees were uprooted, roofs damaged and windows shattered as severe thunderstorms, and possibly a tornado, rattled through southwestern Quebec Friday night. more »
- Champlain Bridge road work blitz this weekend
- Transport Quebec is advising drivers to avoid the Champlain Bridge corridor this weekend as a blitz of major road work closes down some lanes. more »
- IOC's Jacques Rogge encourages Olympic bids for Quebec City, Toronto
- International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge believes there is an opportunity for either Quebec City or Toronto to host a future Olympic Games. more »
- Casserole pan-demonium in Quebec
- Residents take to the streets with pots and pans to protest Bill 78. more »
Top News Headlines
- Everest team unable to bring down Toronto woman's body
- Bad weather has hampered the recovery team that is attempting to bring down the body of a Toronto woman who died trying to climb Mt. Everest. more »
- Aylmer triple stabbing leads to first-degree murder charges

- The estranged partner of a young mother who was stabbed to death along with her parents at their home in Aylmer, Que., has been charged with first-degree murder Friday. more »
- Attack on Syrian villages deadliest yet, activists say
- More than 90 people have been killed by regime forces in a district of central Syria, activists say, and as many as half the victims may have been children. more »
- The risks and responsibilities of taking on Mt. Everest

- The deaths of six climbers last weekend on Mt. Everest, with more summits underway this weekend, fuels the debate about the risks and responsibilities of high altitude climbing. more »
Most Viewed/Commented
- Tornado touchdown confirmed near Montreal
- 32nd night protest in Montreal
- Quebec students challenge Bill 78 in court
- Mysterious photos may shed light on 2004 Quebec homicide
- Quebec faces mounting pressure amid student crisis
- Ottawa man in hospital after lightning strike
- Aylmer triple stabbing leads to first-degree murder charges
- Son testifies on behalf of father accused of killing wife
- Bookies set odds on Quebec student protest

