Local News

Boat crushed in Boston Harbor after crane failure

A piece of floating dock dropped onto a boat Thursday morning at an East Boston shipyard, spilling fuel into the harbor.

November 7, 2024

1 minute to read

A crane failure in East Boston dropped a piece of floating dock into Boston Harbor on Thursday morning, crushing a boat.

The dock came loose from the crane as it was being moved into the water, according to the Boston Fire Department. In images posted to social media, a small boat can be seen destroyed and partially submerged. A wooden pier was also visibly damaged.

There were no injuries.

When reached for comment, a BFD spokesperson referred Boston.com to a post on X.

Commissioner Burke briefs the media on the floating dock in East Boston that came loose from the crane while moving the dock into the water. 1 boat in the water was damaged , no injuries to report. Multiple agencies are working to stabilize the dock & mitigate the damage . pic.twitter.com/ONeWUhxLex
— Boston Fire Dept. (@BostonFire) November 7, 2024

The incident occurred at the Boston Harbor Shipyard and Marina in the Jeffries Point neighborhood, Boston 25 News reported. The floating pier was being moved from the land into the water when one of the supports on the crane gave way. Another crane was needed to secure it after the incident.

Divers checked the water near the crushed boat to ensure no one was in the water at the time. A hazmat team was called in after officials found that the damaged boat was leaking fuel in Boston Harbor, per Boston 25.