FACTS
A Singapore-flagged bulk carrier, the Strategic Alliance, struck the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge over the Delaware River at about 1:15 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, while the drawbridge was open for ship traffic, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. No injuries were reported. The bridge, which links Philadelphia and Palmyra, New Jersey, reopened to cars Thursday night with one lane closed and its pedestrian walkway shut for repairs.
The Tacony-Palmyra Bridge strike happened during a scheduled bridge opening for marine traffic, Burlington County officials said, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. The Coast Guard put the time at about 1:15 p.m., CBS Philadelphia reported.
Pennsylvania state Rep. Ed Neilson wrote on social media that “A large cargo ship has struck the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge today,” and said the bridge could not be lowered afterward, which backed up traffic between Philadelphia and New Jersey, the Inquirer reported.
The ship in the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge strike
The vessel is the Strategic Alliance, a Singapore-flagged bulk carrier about 591 feet long and roughly 40,000 deadweight tons, gCaptain reported, citing shipping databases. After the strike it moored at a Kinder Morgan facility in Bristol, Pennsylvania, where the Coast Guard sent inspectors, according to gCaptain and The Associated Press.
Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority said no one on board or ashore was hurt, no marine pollution was reported and the ship had no major damage, according to MarineLink and AsiaOne. The authority said it “is in contact with the vessel’s management company and the relevant US authorities” and will conduct its own investigation, AsiaOne reported.
Bridge reopened with one lane closed
Burlington County closed the bridge to cars and pedestrians Thursday afternoon “due to an investigation into a potential collision involving a ship passing beneath the drawbridge,” the Inquirer reported. The Burlington County Bridge Commission, which owns and operates the bridge, said it “is investigating the extent of any damage to the bridge structure,” according to the Inquirer.
One lane in each direction reopened to vehicles at 8:40 p.m. Thursday, Burlington County officials said, according to NJ.com and MarineLink. The commission said inspections showed the bridge was safe and that the damage appeared minor, MarineLink reported.
As of Friday morning, the third lane remained closed so crews could repair the pedestrian sidewalk, and the pedestrian crossing stayed closed, 6abc reported. A metal railing and parts of a brick column had minor damage, the station reported.
What is not yet known
Officials have not said what caused the collision or which part of the ship hit the bridge. The cause is under investigation, according to 6abc and gCaptain. Officials also have not said whether weather played a role, NJ.com reported; severe storms were moving through New Jersey on Thursday. No date has been given for reopening the pedestrian walkway.
The bridge opened in 1929 and carries Route 73 across the Delaware River between the Tacony section of northeast Philadelphia and Palmyra. It carries up to 76,200 vehicles a day, according to 2025 estimates cited by the AP.
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Photo: File photo of the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge seen from Lardner’s Point in Philadelphia, not taken during this incident. Mr. Matté / Wikimedia Commons,_Aug_2022.jpg), CC BY-SA 4.0.
