The U.S. Coast Guard said multiple errors by a tugboat vessel operator, tug master and crane operator led to a collision last year between a crane and the Savannah River Bridge.
The tugboat was pushing a barge carrying the crane under the bridge Aug. 1 when the collision took place, causing $450,000 in damages and halting vehicle and ship traffic for hours.
No injuries were reported.
In a recently published incident report, the Coast Guard says that the crane operator gave the tug master an incorrect length for the crane’s boom.
The number was off by 20 feet.
The vessel operator then did not complete a navigational assessment before the failed operation. The crane hit the bridge, the boom fell onto the barge and the spud — a steel mooring — fell into the Savannah River.
Alcohol and drug testing on crew members came back negative.
Drone view shows a tug pushing two barges carrying cranes upriver. One crane struck the bridge overhead and collapsed. Credit: Justin Taylor/The Current GA/CatchLight Local
As of Friday, the report did not record any referral for enforcement action. But that enforcement likely would go against the involved marine contractor, Savannah-based Myrick Marine.
A telephone message and an online request seeking comment from the company were not immediately returned.
The U.S. 17 Bridge is Savannah’s connection for vehicles traveling to or from South Carolina and the span under which all ships must pass to reach the busy Port of Savannah.
The air clearance is 184.5 feet at mean high water.
The collision took place 16 months after a container ship struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, killing six people and bringing international attention to navigational hazards in busy shipping channels.
Read the final report.
The US Coast Guard incident report on the August 1st, 2025, collision between a crane and Savannah’s Talmadge Bridge. Credit: US Coast Guard screen capture
This story comes to The Current GA through a reporting partnership with GPB News, a non-profit newsroom covering the state of Georgia.
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Type of Story: News
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
