‘Rocket ship’ bashes bridge

US authorities restricted traffic on portions of the Tennessee River Friday as investigators surveyed damage to a partially collapsed bridge that was struck by a ro-ro late last night.

Foss Maritime’s 4,000-dwt Delta Mariner (built 2000) took out two spans of the structure, which was built in the 1930’s and handles around 2,800 vehicles per day, but a spokesman for the US operator says the ship appears to be seaworthy.

No injuries were reported on the Eggner Ferry Bridge or the vessel, which was transporting rocket booster components from a Boeing plant in Decatur, Alabama to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida when the incident occurred.

US salvage specialist T&T Bisso has been called in to survey the operator’s only ro-ro, which will remain at anchor while officials determine how best to remove mangled pieces of steel and cement from the ship’s bow.

“Right now our priority is to get the waterway open while protecting people and the environment,” Foss spokesman Sam Sacco told TradeWinds in an interview. “It’s too early to speculate on what caused the wreck until the US Coast Guard completes its investigation. Once that is taken care of we will determine who pays for what.”

Sacco does not know if the cargo, which was not damaged, will continue its voyage with the Delta Mariner once cleared or if another ship will be called in to complete the haul.

Headquartered in Seattle, Foss is best known for its fleet of tugs and two shipyards, which are located in the Pacific Northwest. The ro-ro has transported rocket parts, which are used to send satellites into space, for the United Launch Alliance for nearly a decade.

On a typical route to Florida, the vessel which maintains insurance cover with the American Steamship Owner Mutual P&I association, transits the Tennessee, Ohio and Mississippi rivers to the Gulf of Mexico before sailing along Florida’s east coast, Sacco says.

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