“Tragedy Foretold”: Derelict Ship Adrift Is Blown by the Wind and Collides with the Rio-Niterói Bridge Causing a Series of Damages

Ship São Luiz, Abandoned for Over 6 Years in Rio de Janeiro, Collided with the Rio-Niterói Bridge, Causing the Road to Be Closed

At the end of the afternoon on this Monday, April 14, an abandoned ship drifting in the port of Rio de Janeiro collided with the Rio-Niterói Bridge, causing the road to be closed in both directions.

The bridge was closed around 6:18 PM, shortly after the collision of the abandoned vessel with the structure, as reported by the Federal Highway Police (PRF). A driver passing through the area at the time managed to capture the images, take a look:

A user who travels daily across the Rio-Niterói Bridge posted a report on Twitter stating that the collision between the ship and the bridge had been anticipated. Other people who witnessed the moment of the accident shared their stories from the same perspective. 

After the collision, the bridge became unsafe for travel in any direction. Only after three hours of blockage did the Federal Highway Police begin to open two lanes of the bridge leading to Rio and four lanes heading to Niterói, after ascertaining that they were safe for vehicle traffic.

Ship That Collided with the Rio-Niterói Bridge Has Been Abandoned in Rio de Janeiro for 6 Years

Since April 7, 2016, the São Luiz vessel has been anchored in the area near the Rio-Niterói Bridge. The ship, which is 200 meters long and 30 meters wide, has an anchor that weighs 7.5 tons; however, it did not withstand the strong winds that hit the city in the late afternoon, which ended up dragging the ship to the bridge.

The Rio de Janeiro Environment Department stated that it is the Navy’s responsibility to take the necessary steps for the disposal of abandoned vessels like the São Luiz ship. Even auctioning off the cutting of boats for scrap dealers to utilize the material is an attempt by the authorities to resolve the situation.

Nonetheless, one of these companies negotiated the removal of another abandoned vessel in 2013, but never completed the task.

The PRF started to release the four lanes of the bridge toward Niterói and two lanes toward Rio around 9:30 PM. According to the authority, the bridge will remain with these lanes open until the morning of Tuesday, when a new inspection will be conducted at the site, which cannot be done at night.

Brazilian Navy Called Camorim, a Maritime Services Company, to Remove the São Luiz Vessel from the Vicinity of the Rio-Niterói Bridge

Camorim reported, via a social media post, that it quickly sent a team with four towboats to the site, where they successfully maneuvered the vessel on the same night of the incident. Watch this video showing the moment of the rescue: