CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC/AP) - The U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday the crew of a container ship outbound from North Charleston lost the ability to control the engines, prompting the temporary closure of the Arthur Ravenel Bridge.
The Coast Guard Sector Charleston Command Center received a report from the Charleston Harbor Pilots dispatch at approximately 12:17 p.m. about the situation, Coast Guard Sector Charleston Deputy Cmdr. Randy Preston said.
Preston said the vessel was identified as the MSC Michigan and its pilot said the ship was stuck at nearly full throttle ahead moving at 14 to 17 knots as it was leaving North Charleston bound for Savannah.
“Our sector command center folks immediately started coordinating with our local partners to include launching our own vessels to clear vessel traffic out of the way of the container ship and also coordination with the local police departments to ensure traffic on the Ravenel Bridge was stopped ensuring that the public was safe,” Preston said.
The container ship’s crew was eventually able to regain control of the ship’s engines and it cleared the harbor without incident, Coast Guard officials said. As of Wednesday afternoon, the vessel was anchored 8.5 nautical miles offshore as an investigation continues by members of the Coast Guard.
Two boaters on a different vessel were injured when their vessel was pushed onto rocks because of the cargo ship’s wake. The boaters were picked up and EMS took them to an area hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
It was a surreal moment for those who witnessed the cargo ship speed toward Fort Moultrie Beach.
The captain for Charleston Water Taxi, Iris Duke, shared her experience from Wednesday.
“We were doing a normal run from Waterfront Park to Charleston Maritime Center Aquarium Wharf, and we just heard chatter on the radio,” Duke said.
She and her crew were notified to move because the MSC Michigan lost control on the other side of the Ravenel Bridge.
“We turned it up because we heard ‘Mayday’ and then we heard ‘Runaway ship,’ so we kind of cruised out there,” Duke said.
The ship was moving at high speed, causing concern. Coast Guard boats and other agencies cleared the ship channel, and law enforcement closed all traffic on the Ravenel Bridge as a precaution.
Biker Lisa Riente couldn’t help but think about the recent collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland.
“It was really scary and two other women were in the backseat with me in the cop car and we were trying to holler for other people just to get in and get in with us and get us across the bridge safely,” Riente said.
Fort Moultrie Beach was also evacuated in case the ship needed to ground.
Two months have passed since
the container ship Dali lost power and crashed into one of the supporting columns of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, killing six construction workers and halting most maritime traffic through the Port of Baltimore.
The FBI has launched a criminal investigation into the circumstances leading up to the crash.
The Dali experienced two electrical blackouts about 10 hours before leaving the Port of Baltimore on its way to Sri Lanka. The crew later made changes to the ship’s electrical configuration, switching to a transformer and breaker system that had previously been out of use for several months, according to the National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report.
Coast Guard officials said there was no damage to the Ravenel Bridge itself during Wednesday’s incident.
