Cruise & Cruise Line

High Water Levels on St. Lawrence Strands Ship

Image: Oceania Cruises' Marina was stranded by high water in Canada. (photo courtesy of Oceania Cruises)
Image: Oceania Cruises' Marina was stranded by high water in Canada. (photo courtesy of Oceania Cruises)
by Ana Figueroa
Last updated: 12:05 PM ET, Wed May 9, 2018

High water levels on the St. Lawrence River in Canada disrupted the course of Oceania Cruises' Marina on Tuesday. The ship was unable to cross beneath the Laviolette bridge in Trois-Rivères, Quebec.

According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the ship's 1,200 passengers were offloaded and taken by bus to Montreal. That city, 140 miles away, was the final port of call for the cruise.

The operation brought some logistical challenges. A large tent had to be set up at the port, so that passengers could claim their luggage. Local destination management companies scrambled to find enough buses to accommodate the passenger exodus. At one point, the road leading to the port was closed so that the buses could depart.

The Marina is scheduled to leave for Southhampton, U.K., on Thursday. Passengers who expected to board in Montreal will now be taken to the ship by bus.

Some tricky maneuvering is still in the works. The Marina will have to make a U-turn in the river. News reports say that such a feat has never been attempted on that stretch of the St. Lawrence.

TravelPulse has reached out to Oceania Cruises for comment and will update this story as warranted.


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Ana Figueroa

Contributing Editor-Cruise

Ana Figueroa is a veteran travel industry writer based in Los Angeles. She's a former contributing editor for Travel Agent...

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