Oil Tanker Strikes Memorial Bridge

An oil tanker ship struck the Memorial Bridge in Portsmouth on Friday, according to the New Hampshire Department of Transportation.

NHDOT spokesman William Boynton said the incident happened at 5:15 a.m. when an oil tanker struck a pier on the bridge that carries Route 1 between Portsmouth and Kittery, ME. The 600-foot long oil tanker "Seapride" was outbound on the Piscataqua River when it struck a pier of the lift bridge.

Boynton said preliminary inspections have found no apparent structural damage to the bridge. However, the fender system designed to protect each bridge pier was damaged. The struck pier was pier 3 on the Maine side of the channel.

The incident has not affected lift operations at the Memorial Bridge and the bridge remains open to motor vehicle traffic, Boynton said. New Hampshire Department of Transportation and Maine Department of Transportation engineers are on site to further evaluate the situation. The U.S. Coast Guard is also investigating the incident.