LABRADOR FREIGHTER RUNS AGROUND

Corner Brook, NF (Western Star)

An 80-foot cargo vessel ran aground off the Labrador coast early Tuesday morning. The cargo ship Astron, operated by Labrador Marine Inc., ran aground 10 miles east of Cartwright. The Canadian Coast Guard received a distress call at around 1:30 a.m. The ship's 13 crew members abandoned the vessel in a life boat. Three coast guard vessels arrived at the scene. The auxiliary vessel Island Rover I retrieved the crew members, who were taken to Cartwright. At around 8:30 a.m., the Astron was refloated. It was then towed to Cartwright, where it arrived mid-afternoon. No cause has been determined for the accident. Transport Canada is conducting an investigation. Dennis White, manager of Woodward Group of Companies, said the company is also performing an internal investigation. "We don't know exactly what happened. We're investigating that," White said. This was the Astron's first cargo run of the season. The vessel, based out of Lewisporte, provides bi-weekly freight service to communities along the Labrador coast.

-30-

**************************************************
SEND YOUR NEWS AND EVENT TIPS TO: news@ewmanchester.com. Include your name, address, phone number and email contact information for verification purposes (won’t be published unless requested).

NAUTICAL NOTES. Content © Eric W. Manchester. All rights reserved. Any use without prior permission is prohibited. www.ewmanchester.com