Coast Guard crews enforced a safety zone as the CMA CGM Theodore Roosevelt, a 1,200-foot container ship, passed under the recently elevated Bayonne Bridge on its maiden voyage to the United States on Thursday.

The Theodore Roosevelt is the largest capacity container ship to transit under the Bayonne Bridge since the project to raise the structure started in May 2013.

US Coast Guard welcomes largest container ship to pass under new Bayonne Bridge
Caption: Coast Guard crewmembers enforce a safety zone as the CMA CGM Theodore Roosevelt, a 1,200-foot container ship, passes under the recently elevated Bayonne Bridge on its maiden voyage to the United States on Sept. 7, 2017. The Theodore Roosevelt is the largest capacity container ship to transit under the Bayonne Bridge since the project to raise the bridge started in May 2013. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Sabrina Clarke)

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey started the project to raise the bridge and deepen the channel so large capacity ships can use the container ports in Elizabeth and Newark, New Jersey.

The Bayonne Bridge is the fifth longest arch bridge in the world, connecting the states of New York and New Jersey by spanning the Kill Van Kull Strait between Bayonne, New Jersey, and Staten Island, New York.

The CMA CGM Theodore Roosevelt also participates in the U.S. Coast Guard’s Automated Mutual Assistance Vessel Rescue System, or AMVER. AMVER is a worldwide voluntary search and rescue program sponsored by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Source: USCG