Section of fourth bridge falls onto boat, obstructing waterway operations

On Friday, a prefabricated section of the fourth Macau-Taipa bridge that should have been raised to the main bridge body fell back towards the boat.

The news first broke when the Times received information about the complete closure of the nearby waterway Friday morning, stating that no ship or ferry should enter or leave the Inner Harbour.

The same day, the Public Works Bureau (DSOP) issued a press release on the incident. The bureau, however, did not disclose if any injuries or damage to the boat were caused.

Only after receiving an inquiry from local media outlet All About Macau did the DSOP rule out any injury, but could not confirm if there was any damage to equipment.

According to the DSOP, the prefabricated section was set to be installed as part of the main bridge body Friday morning. During its elevation, at a speed of 3mm/s until a height of 4.5 meters was attained, the section tilted northward and “slowly returned to the deck of the boat,” according to the DSOP, which has already ordered an investigation on the incident.

The construction of the bridge has been assigned to a conglomerate comprising China Railway Major Bridge Engineering Group Co., Ltd, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation and OMAS Construction and Engineering Company Limited, Macau.

Following this, Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal will operate as usual today, as the government has decided on a last-minute alteration to the bridge’s work schedule.

The Marine and Water Bureau (DSAMA) issued an announcement on the matter Friday evening. Originally, suspension of operations at the ferry terminal was planned for today, to make way for construction work for the bridge.

However, the DSAMA emphasized that incoming tropical cyclone Talim may create meteorological conditions that obstruct the smooth operations of ferry services. Passengers should adhere to the latest announcements from the government and ferry operators.