BOSTON (WHDH) - The Coast Guard is working to inspect a ship that broke free from its terminal in South Boston and damaged a pier before drifting away.
The Helsinki Bridge, an 1,100-foot container ship, came into Black Falcon Pier at the Paul Conley Container Terminal around 11 p.m. Tuesday. Heavy winds caused 12 lines to snap and the massive ship struck the pier, damaging it at 12:45 a.m. It drifted away before crews could retrieve it.
“It was a loud, loud noise. The first three that snapped were pretty quick,” said Steve Picard, who was on the ship at the time.
The ship is currently docked just outside Boston Harbor, pulled there for safekeeping by tugboats while crews inspect the ship for damage.
Officials said longshoremen were unloading the ship at the time of the incident but nobody was injured. Sources told 7News there were people on the gangway when the 12 lines snapped.
The Coast Guard said the ship will be towed back to the terminal Thursday.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)