A HUGE SHIP HIT A PILLAR OF THE ZÁRATE-BRAZO LARGO BRIDGE
It is a cereal vessel with Liberian flag. The collision interrupted navigation at kilometer 171 of the Paraná River, where the railroad track linking the province of Buenos Aires with Entre Ríos is located.
A large cargo ship flying the Liberian flag collided this Sunday afternoon against the first pillar of the Zárate-Brazo Largo bridge and navigation was interrupted at kilometer 171 of the Paraná River. “The captain lost control of the rudder”, indicated Prefectura sources.
The ship, which is almost 300 meters long, has a major damage and two tugboats are waiting to free the naval traffic. According to information from the place, it was sailing without ballast towards the city of San Lorenzo, in the province of Santa Fe.
The ship, called “En May”, suffered what in shipping terms is called “loss of steering” and struck sideways against one of the piles of the Bartolomé Mitre Bridge that makes up the Zárate Brazo Largo Complex. The collision caused a crack on the right side of her hull. The damage is superficial and there is no danger of sinking.
The vessel sailed in October 2023 from Vietnam, then passed through Singapore and was in the Brazilian port of Santos before starting its voyage to Argentina.
According to its designation it is a cargo or reefer vessel and at the time of its collision it was heading towards the port of San Lorenzo to lift a cargo, presumably of grain.
The Zárate-Brazo Largo Bridge is an important road link connecting the provinces of Buenos Aires and Entre Ríos in Argentina. It was inaugurated in 1977 and is one of the longest in the country, with an extension of approximately 5 kilometers. Its construction represented a milestone in the region’s infrastructure, facilitating land transportation and contributing to the economic and social development of the surrounding areas.