Cargo Ship Hits Bridge in Japan, Cutting Off Water Supply and Internet to 15,000

Updated: October 20, 2023 (Originally published October 23, 2018)

The Japanese island of Suo-Oshima is without water and internet this week after a ship hit a bridge on Monday, taking out piping on the underside of the bridge.

Officials say the Maltese-flagged cargo ship Erna Oldendorff struck the underside of the Honshu – Suo-Oshima bridge on Monday as it headed for the Port of Etajima in the Hiroshima Prefecture of Japan. As it passed below the bridge, the top of the ship’s mast struck the bridge, causing a large section of the island’s water pipe and the fiber-optic cables that provide the island with the internet.

Media reports said an estimated 15,000 people in Suo-Oshima were without water as a result of the incident.

Germany-based Oldendorff Carriers, which operates the Erna Oldendorff, confirmed the incident in a statement posted to its website. The company said immediately informed all relevant authorities immediately following the incident and the vessel has since moved to a safe anchorage at the instruction of the Japanese Coast Guard.

“Regardless of the full details of the cause of the incident Oldendorff Carriers would like to apologise for the disruption caused to anyone as a result of the unfortunate events,” the company said.

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