The Kaye Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, was hit by the Dali freighter in the early morning of the 26th, causing people and vehicles on the bridge to fall into the water. Six missing people were presumed dead. The authorities pointed out that there was a complete power outage minutes before the Dali hit the bridge pier, which meant that the freighter lost power. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will board the ship on the 27th to investigate.
What happened?
At 1:00 a.m. Eastern Time on the 26th, a cargo ship named Dali was preparing to sail to Sri Lanka along the Patapsco River. As a result, the cargo ship completely lost power at 1:24 a.m., and all the lights on the ship suddenly turned off. went out, and then crashed directly into the concrete pier of the Francis Scott Key Bridge three minutes later, at 1:27.
The entire bridge broke into multiple pieces and collapsed within seconds, causing many people and vehicles to fall into the cold water about 15 meters from the bridge deck. The authorities deployed divers, ships, aircraft, precision sonar, and infrared equipment for search and rescue operations.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore said there were no structural problems with the bridge piers and local police ruled out the possibility of a terrorist attack.
Are there any casualties?
It was initially reported that as many as 20 people fell into the water when the accident occurred, but Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld later said that a total of eight workers fell into the water from a height of 56 meters. These workers were all affiliated with a contractor. At the time of the accident, Construction work is underway on the bridge.
After one night, two people were found, one was not seriously injured, and one was seriously injured and sent to the hospital. Since the temperature of the river water is only 8 degrees Celsius, the remaining six people are currently presumed dead by the authorities.
Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace said sonar equipment had spotted vehicles underwater, but he could not yet say how many.
Synergy Marine Group, the company that manages the Daly, said no one on board was injured.
What caused the accident?
It’s unclear yet, but officials have repeatedly said there were no signs of terrorism.
Monitor footage showed that the Dali went dark twice a few minutes before the incident, indicating that there may have been some kind of electrical failure on the ship. Synergy Marine Group said the cause of the accident “has not yet been determined”.
According to CNN, at the time of the incident, the Dali was guided by a regional pilot instead of its crew to avoid accidents like this.
Some experts have suggested that the main support structure of the Kaye Bridge may not be properly protected and could not withstand the impact of such a large ship. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is expected to board the ship on the 27th to conduct an investigation.
Where did the Dali come from?
The Dali that suffered the accident was flying the Singaporean flag. The shipowner is Singaporean Grace Ocean Pte Ltd. It is chartered by Danish shipping giant Maersk. The ship is 289 meters long, equivalent to the size of three football fields, and can accommodate 4,679 containers.
The Dali had an accident in the Port of Antwerp, Belgium, in 2016 and crashed directly into the pier when it was leaving.
What was the impact of the Kaye Bridge break?
Opened to traffic in 1977, the Kaye Bridge is one of the three main roads through the Port of Baltimore, with approximately 31,000 vehicles passing through it every day.
Although the Port of Baltimore is one of the smallest ports in the Northeast in terms of container throughput, it is the busiest automotive port in the United States, with approximately 750,000 vehicles transported here last year. The rupture of the Kaye Bridge caused port traffic to be disrupted. The entry and exit of ships is currently suspended indefinitely, which is likely to cause tension in the supply chain and delivery on the East Coast of the United States will also be affected.
