Another Ship Loses Power Near Critical Bridge, Tugs Race In

A potential disaster was narrowly averted on Friday evening when a massive container ship lost power while navigating the shipping lane between Staten Island and Bayonne, New Jersey, as reported by the New York Post.

The incident occurred near the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, prompting concerns about a possible repeat of the March 26 accident in Baltimore, where a container ship without power drifted into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing significant damage.

The Coast Guard identified the vessel involved as the 89,000-ton M/V Qingdao.

John Konrad, CEO of gCaptain, a maritime news outlet, shared an image showing the 1,100-foot Qingdao near the bridge. He mentioned, “A NY tugboat captain has reported to @gCaptain container ship APL QINGDAO lost power while transiting New York harbor. They had 3 escort tugs but 3 more were needed to bring her under control. They regained power & were brought to anchor near the Verrazano bridge.”

The ship came to a halt just north of the bridge, according to the Post.

Coast Guard Vessel Traffic Service New York received a distress call from the M/V Qingdao around 8:30 p.m., Saturday, reporting a loss of propulsion in the Kill Van Kull waterway, which links Newark Bay and Port Newark Container Terminal with Upper New York Bay.

“The vessel regained propulsion and was assisted to Stapleton Anchorage by tugs,” stated the Coast Guard.

Before permitting the ship to proceed, the Coast Guard ensured that its propulsion system was operational and demanded a report detailing the reason for the power loss.

The incident has raised discussions about America's infrastructure vulnerabilities, with concerns about potential infrastructure attacks and calls for stricter vetting of foreign crews on commercial vessels entering U.S. waters.