Nyk-Clara

The metal mast of a passing freight ship struck the underside of the Bayonne Bridge on Friday night, but engineers found no damage and the bridge was never closed to traffic, authorities said. Al Della Fave, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, said engineers examined the deck and underside of the bridge after a freighter from New York, the NYK Clara, struck the underside of the bridge at its midsection around 7:45 p.m. as it headed toward New York Bay. “It was very minor contact,” Della Fave said. The ship anchored at a spot past the bridge after crewmen heard a noise and waited for the U.S. Coast Guard to arrive, Della Fave said. The ship was still there an hour after hitting the bridge, he said. The Port Authority has announced plans to raise the underside of the bridge 60 feet to a height of 215 feet by 2016 after an expansion of the Panama Canal is expected to bring larger vessels to New York-area ports. One of the largest steel-arch bridges in the world, it spans the Kill Van Kull between Bayonne and Staten Island. http://www.northjersey.com/news/156531365_Cargo_ships_mast_strikes_Bayonne_Bridge.html