A large container ship lost propulsion in waters near New York Harbor on Friday evening, and tugboats brought it to a berth near the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.
The scene was reminiscent of the tragedy that occurred at the Port of Baltimore last month. Another container ship collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge, toppling it and killing six maintenance workers. Police managed to close the bridge to traffic before it hit the bridge.
The 89,000-ton ship, APL Qingdao, lost power in the Kill Van Kru waterway, a busy shipping lane between Staten Island in the Big Apple and New Jersey.
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Tugboats and barges in the upper New York Bay, with the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and Staten Island in the background of New York City. (Bruce Panger/GHI/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
A group of tugboats pulled the stalled ship out of the way and anchored it near the bridge for safe anchorage until repairs can be made, the U.S. Coast Guard told Fox News Digital in a statement.
“The vessel regained propulsion and safely anchored at Stapleton Anchorage, just north of the Verrazzano Bridge, outside of the navigable waterway, with the assistance of three towing vessels,” the Coast Guard said.
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A foggy view of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge in New York Bay on October 25, 2022. (Beata Saursel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
“These towboats were escorting the ship as a routine safety measure, which is common practice for large ships leaving their berths.”
The USCG said the ship did not experience a “loss of propulsion” that affected its movement, but rather a “loss of power” that caused all systems to shut down.
APL Qingdao suffered a loss of propulsion, but recovered after a short time, temporarily affecting its ability to move underwater without the aid of the towboat it was escorting. This is different from a power loss, in which the ship loses the ability to generate power for all systems on board, including propulsion.
But John Conrad, CEO of gCaptain, a maritime industry publication, said the New York incident was not a near miss.
“One of the big differences between Baltimore and New York is that the U.S. Coast Guard operates New York’s vessel traffic services. VTS is like air traffic control,” Conrad wrote in X.
“They monitor all ships and tugs and can respond quickly to emergencies. Baltimore didn’t have VTS service.”
The Coast Guard told FOX News Digital that only 12 ports in the United States offer VTS service.
Remains of the Francis Scott Key Bridge remain aboard the container ship Dali as President Biden conducts an aerial tour of the greater Baltimore area on Friday, April 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Seneta)
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Officials ordered certified repairs and allowed the ship to leave port once formal requirements were met, the Coast Guard said.
According to the USCG, New York waters carry more than $300 billion in commerce annually, carry more than 40 million passengers, and serve more than 800,000 commercial vessels.
The Qingdao arrived in Norfolk, Virginia, on Monday morning, according to public ship tracking data compiled by VesselFinder.com.
It was built in 2012 and flies the Maltese flag.
The ship’s owner, France-based international shipping and logistics company CMA CGM, did not respond to requests for comment.
