BOURNE – The Army Corps of Engineers is investigating after a cruise ship scraped the railroad bridge last night as it passed through the Cape Cod Canal.
According to a statement from the Army Corp, the Viking Star Cruise ship passed through Buzzards Bay just around 7:08 p.m. and made contact with the underside of the Railroad Bridge.
An aluminum mast with a light on the end made contact with the bridge, scraping a small amount of paint off the bridge.
The bridge was inspected by staff at the Canal shortly after the incident, and there were no issues or damages noted, according to the Army Corps.
“The Canal staff conducted another inspection this morning with better light and noted no issues or damages, so the bridge is fully operational,” said Army Corps of Engineers Spokesman Tim Dugan.
Engineers from the District Office are scheduled to be at the Canal on Friday and will conduct inspections on the Railroad Bridge and the Bourne and Sagamore Bridges, to see if they were struck or impacted by the same aluminum light pole.
The cruise ship was heading south through the Canal, from Cape Cod Bay to Buzzards Bay.
The bridges all have a clearance of 135 feet, and the cruise ship has an air draught of 131.23.
“It appears that the ship approached the Railroad Bridge at close to the peak high tide which is was at 6:32 p.m., that might be the issue that it was just a little too close there,” said Dugan.
Dugan added that there is a painting project currently underway on the Railroad Bridge but that it did not interfere with the cruise ship.
The cruise ship company has not responded to comment on the story.
By MATT MCCARTHY and JUSTIN SAUNDERS, CapeCod.com Newscenter
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