Container ship loses propulsion and comes to halt close to New York bridge – two weeks after Baltimore tragedy

Amelia Neath |

A huge container ship lost propulsion in New York’s harbour and came to a halt close to the Verrazzano Bridge over the weekend – in an eerily similar scenario to the deadly disaster in Baltimore less than two weeks earlier.

The 1,145-foot-long APL Qingdao lost propulsion in the waters around New York City on Friday evening, the US Coast Guard told The New York Post.

The Coast Guard said that it received a report at about 8.30pm about the incident, while the huge vessel was making its way through the Kill Van Kull waterway.

The Kill Van Kull channel is a three-mile long, 1,000 feet wide tidal strait between Staten Island in New York City and Bayonne, New Jersey – which connects Newark Bay and Upper New York Bay. It is considered one of the most heavily travelled waterways in the port area, the United States Army said.

The massive ship was able to regain propulsion and was assisted by three towing vessels to “safely anchor in Stapleton Anchorage, outside of the navigable channel just north of the Verrazzano Bridge,” the Coast Guard said.

“These towing vessels were escorting the vessel as a routine safety measure, which is a common practice for large vessels departing their berth.”

The ship came to a rest and anchored near the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, the 13,700-foot-span bridge connecting Brooklyn and Staten Island, NYC Parks states.

The 12-year-old ship, registered in Malta, is now currently en route to Norfolk, Virginia, according to Vessel Finder.

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