A CONTAINERSHIP became lodged beneath Rotterdam's Willemsbrug Bridge for several hours before finally being dislodged, reports Bangalore's Marine Insight.

The vessel attempted to pass under the bridge without assessing clearance, and got stuck.

During the incident, several containers were knocked off the ship upon impact with the bridge, prolonging the ship's entrapment.

Specialised assessments are ongoing to determine the extent of damage sustained by both the vessel and the bridge.

Rijkwaterstaat has confirmed that at least two containers fell from the ship during the collision, prompting authorities to take measures to remove them from the water to avoid potential hazards to other vessels.

The containers were found to be empty.

In response to the incident, officials have closed off the bridge while specialists inspect it for structural damage, particularly to gas pipes and electrical infrastructure.

This incident is not the first of its kind. Previous collisions involving vessels and the Willemsbrug Bridge occurred in 2022 and 2020.

In each instance, containers were also dislodged from the ships involved.

The primary challenge stems from the variable clearance beneath the bridge, which is influenced by tidal fluctuations.

This underscores the responsibility of ship captains to ensure adequate clearance before attempting to pass under the bridge.