River Rouge captain warned river unsafe

One day after becoming stuck in a shallow section of the Red River, the River Rouge cruise ship was still stranded. The vessel ran aground Thursday with 69 passengers on board – they were all ferried to shore safely.

On Friday, owner Kyriakos Vogiatzakis blamed the Coast Guard for how his ship ended up stuck in two feet of water during an adventure cruise to Lower Fort Garry.

Vogiatzakis says there were no buoys in place to warn vessels of the shallow water.

“The river wasn’t marked like it should be and it looked deep”, said Vogiatzakis.

Carol Launderville of the Canadian Coast Guard says ship operators knew the absence of buoys made the river is unsafe.

“The Captain of the MV River Rouge signed a waiver with Public Works and Government Services Canada, acknowledging that normal summer water levels were not present and that until the buoys are placed into position the Red River is not considered safe for navigation.”

Launderville says “The placement of buoys is coordinated between the Canadian Coast Guard and the St. Andrews Lock and Dam, which controls water levels from Lockport to Winnipeg and tributary waterways.”

This is just the latest in a string of mishaps for the River Rouge, which was stuck in Selkirk for weeks this year due to high water levels. Vogiatzakis is now considering leaving the pleasure cruise business.