WELLAND, Ont. — Transportation officials say an investigation is underway after two large cargo ships collided in the Welland Canal over the weekend.
The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation said the “rare” incident happened on Saturday afternoon on the key shipping route in the Niagara Region, which connects Lake Ontario and Lake Erie.
Spokesman Jean Aubry-Morin said the Alanis was carrying coal and heading to Minnesota when it collided with the Florence Spirit.
He said the two vessels were able to safely dock at nearby ports, where Transportation Safety Board investigators are in the early stages of their investigation.
Aubry-Morin said the Alanis had “minimum” damage and will likely require minor repairs, whereas the Florence Spirit suffered more serious damage in the crash.
The transportation agency said there was no environmental impact from the crash and there were minimal delays to traffic after the incident.
Aubry-Morin described the collision as rare, saying tens of thousands of ships have passed at the same spot in the last 60 years.
“We have on record no such similar… incidents of vessels on the Welland Canal,” said Aubry-Morin. “To have this unfortunate outcome is extremely rare.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 13, 2020.
The Canadian Press
