An ‘out of control’ cargo ship forces the temporary closure of Charleston bridge. Officials are trying to see what went wrong

By Sara Smart and Dalia Faheid, CNN

(CNN) — A major bridge in Charleston, South Carolina, was temporarily closed Wednesday afternoon after a crew lost control of a large container ship after it left port.

The US Coast Guard was alerted to an “out of control vessel” in the Cooper River around 12:17 p.m. Wednesday, Coast Guard Sector Charleston Deputy Commander Randy Preston said Wednesday. Authorities rushed to clear boaters from the vessel’s path and shut down the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge before the ship passed underneath.

“The Ravenel Bridge is shut down in all directions due to a vessel reportedly losing propulsion,” the Charleston Police Department posted on X.

The incident came just over two months after the 213-million-pound Dali cargo vessel lost power and crashed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, destroying the 1.6-mile span and killing six construction workers. The disaster spurred increased scrutiny of bridges across the country that could be at risk of collapse as infrastructure ages and cargo ships continue to grow in size.

Shortly before the ship in Charleston lost propulsion, it was nearly full throttle, Preston said. Because of that, the ship proceeded with strong momentum.

“The pilot on board indicated the vessel lost ability to control the engines and they were stuck nearly full ahead with the vessel making between 14 to 17 knots” – or about 16 to 19.5 mph, Preston said.

The vessel passed safely under the bridge and didn’t hit any of the bridge’s supports. Eventually, the crew was able to regain control of the engines and anchored the vessel about 8.5 nautical miles offshore.

The Ravenel Bridge, a two-and-a-half-mile-long overpass with a 1,546-foot cable-stayed main span, is a major artery connecting Charleston to Mount Pleasant.

While Preston couldn’t say how close the vessel came to the bridge, “any time a vessel can’t control its propulsion, it’s concerning,” he said. But “it turned out well, and that’s due to our intense partnerships and coordination.”

Coast Guard crews were headed to the ship to investigate the incident.

The vessel, MSC Michigan 7, is about 997 feet long and 74,000 gross tons. It was headed to Savannah, Georgia, Preston said, but must remain anchored until further notice.

Two recreational boaters in the area were pushed onto some rocks by the ship’s wake and sustained non-life-threatening injuries, authorities said.

There were also reports of minor damage along the vessel’s route. Inspectors were conducting damage assessments throughout the port.

In addition to Charleston police temporarily closing the Ravenel Bridge to traffic and pedestrians around 12:41 p.m., the Fort Moultrie Beach was evacuated as a precaution in case the vessel needed to ground.

Local authorities were heard on radio traffic discussing the incident and working on closing the bridge.

“We just received a report of a large tanker vessel, the MSC Michigan 7, currently outbound down the Cooper River. They’ve lost propulsion, and they are worried about potentially running into the Ravenal Bridge,” a man said.

“You said they’ve lost propulsion, and they might hit the Ravenel?” a woman replied.

“Yes ma’am, that is confirmed. We need the Ravenel Bridge shut down,” the man said.

The bridge reopened after the vessel safely passed underneath, the US Coast Guard said.

CNN’s Holly Yan contributed to this report.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.