Police cleared traffic and pedestrians from bridge as cargo ship went nearly full throttle through South Carolina harbor

Police cleared traffic and pedestrians from bridge as cargo ship went nearly full throttle through South Carolina harbor

A large cargo ship lost control of its engines and went nearly full throttle through a South Carolina harbor prompting the closure of one of the busiest bridges in the state.

The incident comes after an out-of-control cargo ship smashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on 26 March after losing power, bringing the span down and killing six construction workers.

Harbor pilots in Charleston on Wednesday were able to help the nearly 1,000ft (300-meter) ship, which was going nearly 20mph (32km/h), get under the Ravenel Bridge safely and eventually anchor several miles offshore while the Coast Guard investigates, said Randy Preston, commander of the US Coast Guard’s Charleston section.

  • talEnglish
    14·
    5 months ago

    After a ship knocked down the Sunshine Skyway, they put stanchions in front of the closest bridge supports large enough to stop a ship.

    https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2024/03/27/how-safety-measures-protect-floridas-sunshine-skyway-bridge-and-what-can-go-wrong/

    However, the new Sunshine Skyway Bridge, which opened in 1987, was built with safety in mind, with features meant to make navigating in and out of Tampa Bay easier for large ships and to lower the risk that the bridge will get hit or suffer catastrophic damage.

    “These measures include elevating the bridge, widening the channel, and incorporating two layers of protection for bridge piers. Most notably, features such as ‘dolphins,’ which serve as physical barriers as well as rock islands that completely surround the main channel supports and go all the way to the sea floor,” said Kristen Carson, a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Transportation.

    I know that it adds cost and time, but unless and until they can stick large-enough guards around the bridge, I wonder if it’s worth using tugs to get the ships in and out. One collapsed bridge pays for a whole lot of tug trips.