US Coast Guard Sector Charleston's captain of the port has placed a 100-yard (90-metre) safety zone around a pier after a crane fell into the Cooper River in Charleston, South Carolina, on Friday, July 10.
While the exposed portion of the crane is lit with magnet flashing lights, the coast guard has urged mariners to use extreme caution while transiting the area and maintain a sharp lookout due to the submerged hazard to navigation.
The crane reportedly has a maximum potential of 1,000 gallons (3,800 litres) of fuel and boom is deployed around the area.
The Charleston District of the US Army Corps of Engineers assessed the waterway on the morning (local time) of Saturday, July 11. The assessment assisted in the coast guard’s determination to resume commercial shipping movements through the channel in the vicinity of Charleston's Pier G and the submerged crane.
The coast guard said that, once a salvage plan is approved and finalised and salvage operations begin, periodic pauses in vessel traffic may be necessary to ensure the safety of response and salvage personnel.
The incident remains under investigation, with initial reports indicating that severe weather contributed to the crane entering the water. No injuries have been reported, according to Captain Shawn Lansing, Sector Charleston commander and captain of the port.