Authorities hold press conference on Ravenel Bridge closure and ship incident

CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC/AP) – The U.S. Coast Guard and Charleston and Mount Pleasant police have called a press conference for Wednesday afternoon to discuss the temporary closure of the Ravenel Bridge.

The bridge was closed because a nearby ship reported a power outage. A short time later, police reported that the ship had left the bridge.

No further information was provided by law enforcement authorities.

Two months have passed since the container ship Dali lost propulsion and crashed into one of the supporting pillars of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, killing six construction workers and bringing most shipping traffic in the Port of Baltimore to a standstill.

The FBI has launched a criminal investigation into the circumstances that led to the crash.

About 10 hours before the Dali left the Port of Baltimore en route to Sri Lanka, it experienced two power outages. The crew later made changes to the ship’s electrical configuration, switching to a transformer and circuit breaker system that had previously been out of service for several months, the National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report said.

The press conference will take place at 3:30 p.m.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved.