New York State Police said in a series of posts on Twitter that the boats broke loose from their moorings in Troy before floating south down the Hudson River towards Albany.
State police were forced to close several bridges between Troy and Albany during the morning rush hour as a precaution as the boats drifted south.
State police posted an aerial image on Twitter showing the boats floating downriver.
Troop G - The New York State Police and our partner agencies continue to monitor and track multiple vessels that broke away from their moorings on the Hudson River near Troy, New York. This photo was taken by SP Aviation who are monitoring from above. pic.twitter.com/zHu7xJAkOG
โ NewYorkStatePolice (@nyspolice) January 25, 2019
Video footage from a state police drone also showed the four-deck Captain J.P. III cruise ship floating amid several ice floes.
The cruise ship eventually came to rest when it got jammed under a railroad bridge connecting Albany and Rensselaer for several hours.
Amtrak trains had to reduce speeds as they traveled over the bridge until the boat was able to be removed.
Two Coast Guard ice-breaking cutters and two commercial tugboats worked to eventually pull the boat free, according to the Associated Press.
The Coast Guard said the ship was freed around 3:30 p.m. and towed back north to Troy.
All of the other vessels that drifted downriver were also secured by Friday afternoon, the Coast Guard added.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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