MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Land cargo vehicles banned from Zárate Brazo Largo bridge

Vialidad Nacional wants a safety protocol before any attempt is made to remove the ship from where she has been stuck since Sunday

Argentina's national road authority Vialidad Nacional (VN) Tuesday announced that traffic across the Zárate-Brazo Largo bridge would be off limits for vehicles weighing over 50,000 kilograms as a precaution following Sunday's collision between the structure and a Liberian-flagged freighter still to be removed from beneath the pillar she hit after losing rudder control.

“Traffic is restricted for cargo transportation of more than 50,000 kilos on the Zárate-Brazo Largo bridge due to the collision of a grain ship against the structure,” the Argentine Federation of Freight Motor Transport Business Entities (Federación Argentina de Entidades Empresarias del Autotransporte de Cargas - Fadeeac) warned its members.

Land circulation had at first not been interrupted although maximum speeds were lowered to 60 km/h as a precaution while river traffic is yet to be resumed as VN requested a safety protocol for the vessel's removal. No action will be taken until a procedure is agreed upon.

In the meantime, depending on their size, some vessels may be diverted given that there is no confirmed deadline to resume full navigation, the Coast Guard (Prefectura Naval Argentina - PNA) explained.

“The necessary inspections continue in order to define the way in which the vessel will be safely removed and relocated in a suitable place to carry out repairs,” PNA Spokesman Daniel Sittner told Télam. The PNA also confirmed there were several barges on hold waiting for this situation to be solved.

On Sunday, the Liberian-flagged En May hit a pillar of the Zárate Brazo Largo bridge en route to the port of San Lorenzo in the province of Santa Fe. No casualties were reported. The vessel sustained some damage on the starboard side. “It has a breakdown in the bow and is going to be moved to a nearby place for provisional repairs,” Sittner said.