Major Baltimore bridge collapses after being hit by ship

Update: State Senator for Maryland’s 46th Legislative District Bill Ferguson promises an emergency bill to provide for income replacement for workers impacted by this tragedy. Bill Ferguson said on X (formerly Twitter) he has spoken to “labor leaders, dock workers, small business owners, and large port industry leaders” and is drafting an emergency bill as “over 15,000 in the Balt region rely on daily operations at Port of Baltimore to put food on the table.” Ferguson adds the port disaster means: “There is enormous cost to families.”

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore confirmed today that the vessel’s required classification society and statutory certificates covering the structural integrity of the vessel and functionality of the vessel’s equipment, were valid at the time of the incident. 

It also said the ship underwent and passed two separate foreign port state inspections in June and September 2023.

Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) reports

The Singapore-registered DALI container ship that struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge crossing the Patapsco River, Baltimore, USA at approximately 01.30 hours, local time, on 26 March 2024, “dropped its anchors as part of the vessel’s emergency procedures prior to its impact with the bridge,” according to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), which added that “the vessel was under pilotage at the time of the incident.”

“The ship management company, Synergy Marine Pte Ltd, reported to MPA that just prior to the incident, the vessel, Dali had experienced momentary loss of propulsion. As a result, it was unable to maintain the desired heading and collided with the Francis Scott Key bridge,” the statement from MPA on March 26 said. 

Shipping Telegraph could not immediately verify the report of MPA.

The information given by the various authorities is preliminary and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) which leads the investigation, and the Office of Marine Safety will investigate and establish the probable cause.

Earlier yesterday President Biden has said his government will cover the “entire cost” of rebuilding the bridge and getting the port functioning again.

Biden says government will pay for the ‘entire cost’ of bridge repairs

“We’re going to pay for it to get the bridge rebuilt and open,” Biden said.

A reporter asks the president if there is any reason to believe that the company behind the ship should be held responsible.

Biden says: “That could be, but we’re not going to wait if that happened.”

As it is reported by MPA, the vessel is currently holding onto its position at the site of the collision and is in a stable condition. All 22 crew members are safe and accounted for, whilst search and rescue efforts led by US authorities are ongoing.

Investigators from the Transport Safety Investigation Bureau and MPA are travelling to Baltimore, Maryland.

MPA: Vessel Dali Passed Previous Foreign Port State Inspections

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has contacted the United States Coast Guard (USGC) headquarters and the office of Marine Safety, National Transportation Safety Board, and offered MPA’s assistance as the flag administration to support the investigations.

“Based on records, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore confirms that the vessel’s required classification society and statutory certificates covering the structural integrity of the vessel and functionality of the vessel’s equipment, were valid at the time of the incident. The vessel also underwent and passed two separate foreign port state inspections in June and September 2023. In the June 2023 inspection, a faulty monitor gauge for fuel pressure was rectified before the vessel departed the port. Dali’s next classification and statutory surveys are due in June 2024,” the MPA authority said in a statement on March 27.

Biden says bridge collapse was a terrible accident

President Biden added yesterday in his remarks on the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge that the collapse was a terrible accident, and that “we have no other indication — no other reason to believe there was any intentional act here.”

The president did not answer many questions from reporters, saying that “we’ll need to clear that channel before the ship traffic can resume.”

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy briefed the media yesterday on the NTSB investigation. The National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said the agency will not answer questions about injuries following from the Baltimore bridge collapse.

Homendy directed reporters to other agencies for updates. Search and rescue efforts are ongoing.

Team of experts will evaluate vessel operations, safety history and records, NTSB chair says

A team of experts will dig into nautical operations, vessel operations, safety history records, owners, operators, company policy and any sort of safety management systems or programs, Homendy said.

Asked about the number of crew and their nationality she said to the reporter that “We will get back to you on this matter.”

Part of investigation will look into how the collapsed bridge was constructed, NTSB official says

The National Transportation Safety Board official said that the structure of the collapsed Baltimore bridge will be looked into as part of the agency’s investigation.

Ship traffic in the Port of Baltimore has been suspended until further notice. The Army Corps of Engineers is on the spot and is going to help lead this effort to clear the channel.

Reports of power outage on the ship

“We have been made aware of those same reports about there being a power outage. I’ve also seen statements, media releases from Singapore as well. It’s something that we take in, but something that we have to verify through our investigation that was what was part of the contributing cause here,” NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy told reporters on Tuesday afternoon. “So too early to tell.”

Over 30,000 vehicles cross the Francis Scott Key Bridge on a daily basis

The Port of Baltimore is one of the nation’s largest shipping hubs. It handled a record amount of cargo last year. Over 30,000 vehicles cross the Francis Scott Key Bridge on a daily basis. 

It’s also the top port in America for both imports and exports of automobiles and light trucks. Around 850,000 vehicles go through that port every single year, and as the president Biden said yesterday “we’re going to get it up and running again as soon as possible.”

Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott said yesterday that he is officially declaring a local state of emergency in response to the collapse of Key Bridge.

Port of Baltimore vessel traffic suspended

Vessel traffic into and out of the Port of Baltimore is suspended until further notice.

“This does not mean the Port of Baltimore is closed. Trucks are being processed within our marine terminals. At this time we do not know how long vessel traffic will be suspended. As soon as that is determined we will provide an update,” notified the port administration yesterday.