Did marine worm eat bridge?
Teredo marine worm gets the blame for the bridge which collapsed over the Nuhaka river

A marine organism may have been the reason for the collapse of a bridge over the Nuhaka River.

The bridge near Wairoa, between Napier and Gisborne, collapsed last month under the weight of a crane carrying out repair work.

A preliminary investigation by Ontrack has revealed the collapse was likely to be caused by the marine organism known as teredo worm.

Chief Operating Officer William Peet says they are still looking for the exact cause, though it appears the worm played a part.
He says it is a new place for teredo worm so they have now extended their maintenance to include all wooden bridges over salt water.

Mr Peet says teredo was not known to be in the area so the structure had not been checked for it.
He says the bridge had undergone normal inspections but had not been inspected by divers.

Teredo is a mollusc rather than a true worm, and grows up to 60cm long and 20mm in diameter.

In the days of wooden sailing ships, vessels used to be sheathed in copper to prevent the worm from eating through the hulls to the point of sinking the ship.

Today special marine paints protect ships.