Ravenel Bridge temporarily closed after cargo ship loses control. Here's what we know. (2024)

Traffic on the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge was shut down June 5 when a loaded 1,000-foot container ship sped out of the harbor at twice its normal speed, experiencing what authorities described as a stuck throttle.

No one on the ship or the span was injured, and the fast-moving vessel later cleared the harbor safely. But the incident rekindled comparison to the deadly collision of two months ago in Baltimore, where six people died after a bridge on a main artery around that city collapsed when a container ship lost power and rammed the structure.

The injuries that were reported during the Charleston mishap involved two people on a boat near the tip of Daniel Island who were tossed about by the ship's spreading wake.

Both were taken to an area hospital. Their conditions were considered non-life-threatening. No other details were immediately released.

The incident involved the 997-foot container ship MSC Michigan VII. It lost the ability to control its engines and was stuck at nearly full throttle as it was heading outbound from the State Ports Authority's North Charleston terminal to Savannah, said Cmdr. Randy Preston, Coast Guard Sector Charleston deputy commander.

The warning that led to the brief bridge closure came via alerts from the Charleston Harbor Pilots dispatch indicating that an out-of-control container ship was barreling towards the Ravenel bridge at an estimated 14 to 17 knots (between 16 and 20 mph), Preston said at a press conference.

Capt. John Cameron, executive director of the Charleston Branch Pilots Association, later told The Post and Courier the harbor pilot onboard had ordered the engine at "dead slow ahead," which is the slowest speed that the ship's engine is set to operate. But he said the engine speed "suddenly and inexplicably" increased and didn't respond to commands to slow it down.

The ship's steering continued to work, Cameron said, and that the pilot maintained course down the center of the channel the whole way out.

Cameron added that the local response went more smoothly because it was better communicated as a result of the Baltimore incident.

"I think it would have been a successful outcome," even if local officials hadn't reinforced their plans after Baltimore's bridge collapsed, Cameron said. But the "response was a little more on point, a little more efficient because of the discussions we've had following the Baltimore incident."

The Coast Guard revealed that its command center watchstanders were alerted at 12:17 p.m. of a propulsion system malfunction of a container ship by a Charleston Harbor Pilots dispatch.

The ship kicked up a significant wake as it passed under the bridge and branched out toward the nearby Charleston Harbor Marina in Mount Pleasant, jostling docks and boats.

It was low tide when the ship passed through, meaning the gangways down to the docks were lowered at a steep angle. One gangway slipped off the end of the concrete F dock and fell into the water.

The chatter on VHF Channel 16 was intense, with Coast Guard officials and others speaking of the emergency.

Phone calls from the water to police agencies led to departments on both sides of the bridge to shut down the Ravenel to all car, foot and cyclist travel.

Charleston police received a call for service at 12:30 p.m. and worked with Mount Pleasant police to clear the bridge by 12:41 p.m., Charleston police Chief Chito Walker said at the press conference.

Closure of the 1,546-foot bridge that spans the Cooper River and links Charleston's peninsula to Mount Pleasant lasted about 15 minutes, according to social media updates from local police.

In addition to stopping people from passing across the Ravenel bridge, harbor vessel traffic also was closed, and the beach near Fort Moultrie was evacuated as well.

The Coast Guard and local law enforcement praised the "team effort" that allowed agencies to quickly prepare for the cargo ship's passage under the bridge.

“This just happened to be one of those unexpected situations when we had to act fast," Walker said. “We were able to deploy our resources and execute our plan, so I’m immensely grateful for our local partnerships," he added.

After clearing the harbor, the ship anchored about 10 miles offshore under a Captain of the Port order, the Coast Guard said. It will remain anchored until further notice.

The Coast Guard said an inspection team was being sent to the halted vessel.

Officials declined to speculate about what could have occurred had the ship veered toward one of the Ravenel's pillars that are shielded by 1.6 million tons of rock at its bases.

They also did not address comparisons to what happened on March 26 in Baltimore.

Butemails and text messages obtained through a public records request after Baltimore's bridge collapse show South Carolina state transportation officials anticipated questions and concerns about the Ravenel bridge. One outside project manager who works with the DOT described Baltimore's collapse as “a bridge guy's nightmare.”

Inspection reports were quickly shared after Baltimore and S.C. Department of Transportation officials crafted a statement to reassure the public that “an elaborate system of ship protection” was in place to protect the Ravenel, including large stone structures underneath the span.

“The bridge was designed to withstand a high level of impact, including the loss of cables,” the statement, shared in a text message with ranking officials, read.

Glenn Smith and Adam Parker contributed to this report.