In an unsettling reminder of the cargo ship plowing into Balitmore’s Francis Scott Key bridge, an 89,000-ton ship stopped after experiencing problems near New York City’s Verrazzano Bridge.

The incident, just 12 days after the cargo ship Dali took down the bridge in Baltimore after a reported loss of power, involved the container ship APL Qingdao which similarly lost propulsion in the New York harbor over the weekend.

Maritime journalist John Konrad, the CEO of news organization gCaptain, shared an image of the 1,100-foot-long ship near the Verrazzano Bridge.

USCG has confirmed 👇 https://t.co/0D6Xni9gVv

— John Ʌ Konrad V (@johnkonrad) April 7, 2024

“The APL Qingdao, registered in Malta, conked out as it crossed the Kill Van Kull waterway, a narrow shipping lane between Staten Island and Bayonne, New Jersey,” Daily Mail reported. “The Kill Van Kull is three miles long and it demarcates Newark Bay from Upper New York Bay. It is one of the area’s busiest waterways.”

The ship is registered in Malta and is owned and operated by the large French shipping company @cmacgm pic.twitter.com/susotOdB2i

— John Ʌ Konrad V (@johnkonrad) April 7, 2024

Three tugboats responded to the ship’s power failure by escorting the vessel until it regained power.

“Coast Guard Vessel Traffic Service New York received a report from the M/V APL Qingdao around 8:30pm, Friday, that the vessel had experienced a loss of propulsion in the Kill Van Kull waterway. The vessel regained propulsion and was assisted to safely anchor in Stapleton Anchorage, outside of the navigable channel just north of the Verrazano Bridge, by three towing vessels,” the Coast Guard said, according to the New York Post.

“These towing vessels were escorting the vessel as a routine safety measure, which is a common practice for large vessels departing their berth.”

UPDATE: incident has been confirmed by the US Coast Guard:

“Coast Guard Vessel Traffic Service New York received a report from the M/V Qingdao around 8:30pm, Saturday, that the vessel had experienced a loss of propulsion in the Kill Van Kull waterway,” a Coast Guard spokesperson…

— John Ʌ Konrad V (@johnkonrad) April 7, 2024

“Before the shipping container could resume its voyage, the Coast Guard demanded that the vessel’s propulsion system show certification that it had been restored. They also had to demonstrate that the system was fully operational,” Daily Mail noted. “In addition to these requirements, the crew was ordered to conduct a thorough casualty report, which troubleshooted what exactly contributed to the loss of propulsion. After they finished the report, the giant shipping container was allowed to proceed with its journey to Charleston, South Carolina.”

I wonder how many people are having anxiety attacks in their cars when they cross a bridge and see a ship?

— John Ʌ Konrad V (@johnkonrad) April 7, 2024