SANDY POINT, Md. (AP) — The Chesapeake Bay Bridge was briefly closed when a 946-foot vessel on its way to a scrapyard had a steering problem nearby, but it passed safely, officials said.
T.V. Johnson, a spokesperson for the U.S. Maritime Administration, which owns the Denebola, said the ship had a problem with steering on Thursday afternoon, but it was quickly resolved, The Baltimore Sun reported. Johnson thanked the master, pilot and the crew of the ship for preventing calamity.
The Maryland Transportation Authority, which owns the bridge, said authority police dispatch received a call about a “ship in distress approaching the Bay Bridge” around 1:50 p.m. Thursday. Traffic was stopped on both spans while the ship passed without incident and traffic resumed at 2:05 p.m., authority spokesperson Kelly Melhem said in a statement.
The Coast Guard and the American Bureau of Shipping, a maritime classification society, inspected the vessel and it was cleared to continue, Coast Guard Petty Officer Olinda Romero said.
The Denebola was built in 1973 has been part of the maritime administration’s Ready Reserve Force, a fleet meant to be ready to support U.S. military forces on a moment’s notice. It was headed for a scrapyard in Beaumont, Texas, to be “recycled,” Johnson said.
The incident comes months after the Dali, a 984-foot container ship, lost power and struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing the bridge to collapse and killing six construction workers.
Large ships must be guided by a locally licensed pilot in Maryland waters, but aren’t required to have tugboat escorts near the Bay Bridge. Romero and Johnson did not know whether tugboats were escorting the Denebola when it encountered difficulties Thursday.
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