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Cargo ship hits boat and dock at CityDeck, Ray Nitschke Bridge

Posted at 4:45 PM, Jul 16, 2017
and last updated 2017-07-17 23:35:24-04

A cargo ship caused major damage when it hit the downtown Green Bay CityDeck and Main Street (Ray Nitschke) Bridge Sunday.

The captain of the ship, the Kaye E. Barker, encountered an unexpectedly strong current, according to Tom Wynne, Vice President and General Counsel for the Interlake Steamship Company, which owns the ship.

The incident happened Sunday around 3:30 p.m. when the cargo ship bumped up against the CityDeck, police said. The captain of the ship used the thrusters of the ship, which pushed the water, raising the deck nearly 4 feet.

Officials say when the ship hit the deck, it caused a boat to capsize.

The ship also hit the Ray Nitschke Bridge, causing damage to a catwalk on top of protective fendering. The bridge itself was not damaged, Wynne said.

No one was injured in the incident.

"For a freighter of that size, to crash into city deck, and for people to have good situational awareness, they were able to escape that area, and escape the situation. Thankfully, no one was injured in this incident," said Captain Kevin Warych, Green Bay Police Department.

The Main Street Bridge closed for several hours after the incident. 

The CityDeck docks will be pulled to be inspected.

 

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