ST. PETERSBURG (July 30, RIA Novosti, Anna Novak) - A fuel tanker on the Neva River in St. Petersburg has collided with the Troitsky Bridge, one of the major historical landmarks in the center of the city, the St. Petersburg Emergencies Ministry press service said.
"On Saturday at around 4:00 am, the Irkutsk tanker collided with the Troitsky Bridge. The tanker was traveling from Yaroslavl (a Volga city 300 km northeast of Moscow) to St. Petersburg carrying a fuel load", a ministry spokesman said.
As a result of the accident, the bow of the tanker was damaged, and the vessel was pushed onto the river bank.
"A certain amount of fuel spilled through the upper hatch into the river", said the spokesman. The quantity of fuel has not yet been clarified.
Specialists are currently examining the Troitsky Bridge for possible damage.The Trotsky Bridge (formerly known as the Kirovsky Bridge) was recently reopened after renovation and restoration. The length of the bridge is 582 meters (until the Alexander Nevsky Bridge was built it was the longest bridge across the Neva), and width of 23.6 meters.
The bridge was built from 1897 to 1903. From 1965-1967 the navigation opening (which lifts to allow ships to pass) was re-made with one single lifting wing rather than two symmetrical ones, to accommodate larger vessels.
