Baltimore, MD - Container Ship Strikes Francis Scott Key Bridge - Mass Casualty Situation

[TexLil]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1772750984701178103

 

[imstilla.grandma]

“We’re low-income families,” said Jesus Campos, who has worked at the construction company, Brawner Builders, for about eight months. “Our relatives are waiting for our help back in our home countries.”

Waning daylight and the rubble of the steel bridge are hampering search efforts for the six missing construction workers, officials said. “The water’s deep. Visibility’s low. It’s cold as I don’t know what,” said Kevin Cartwright, a spokesman for the Baltimore City Fire Department.

Live Updates: Major Bridge in Baltimore Collapses After Being Struck by Cargo Ship

The authorities said that two people had been pulled from the water after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed early Tuesday and that a search was underway for “upwards of seven people.”

www.nytimes.com

Se derrumba el puente Francis Scott Key en Baltimore al ser embestido por un carguero: la policía dice que no hay indicios de terrorismo

Buscan a seis trabajadores de construcción tras el colapso del puente Francis Scott Key sobre el río Patapsco. El FBI descarta terrorismo. El buque perdió las luces antes del impacto.

www.telemundo.com

 

[airportwoman]

I first thought of the Big Bayou Canot railway bridge disaster.

Big Bayou Canot rail accident - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Though that one was down to human error and flawed bridge design.

The lights going on and off makes me think this was a mechanical failure, possibly with an electrical fire. I do hope that it wasn't completely avoidable.

MOO

I thought of this near-disaster. TL : DR - a bridge inspector found a large crack on the I-40 bridge over the Mississippi River near Memphis, and called 911 to have the bridge shut down, even before calling his supervisor.

How authorities missed the flaw that nearly brought down the I-40 bridge

An in-depth analysis found repeated opportunities were missed over several decades to find a "fracture critical" flaw on the Mississippi River bridge.

www.ualrpublicradio.org

 

[airportwoman]

The bridge stood strong for 50 years. At the time it was constructed the average cargo ship was 1530 TEU (twenty foot equivalent unit) and now the ships have grown 1500% to 24000 TEU (twenty foot equivalent).
I'm thinking as large a high school football stadium floating on water? I'm surprised the amount of metal falling on the ship did not capsize it as well. The almost immediate and complete collapse is still unbelievable...one minute, clear night, the iconic bridge silhouette, beautiful sparkling lights reflecting on the water....and then gone.

Maritime infographic: 50 years container ship growth | MaritimeCyprus

maritimecyprus.com

Bigger than a football field, or even a stadium! I heard this ship was about 1,000 feet long (ca. 333 yards).

Ore boats on the Great Lakes, which I sometimes watch, are the same size. This boggles my mind too.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

The bridge stood strong for 50 years. At the time it was constructed the average cargo ship was 1530 TEU (twenty foot equivalent unit) and now the ships have grown 1500% to 24000 TEU (twenty foot equivalent).
I'm thinking as large a high school football stadium floating on water? I'm surprised the amount of metal falling on the ship did not capsize it as well. The almost immediate and complete collapse is still unbelievable...one minute, clear night, the iconic bridge silhouette, beautiful sparkling lights reflecting on the water....and then gone.

Maritime infographic: 50 years container ship growth | MaritimeCyprus

maritimecyprus.com

“It’s a sound bridge design and had been used in other locations,” Schafer said, noting “there’s no indications of problems with it over time.”

The massive container ship, which can hold 130,000 tons of cargo and supplies, simply overwhelmed the bridge’s protective measures.

“Container ships have changed a lot since the 1970s. They’re bigger and bigger and bigger. When you see the images now, the container ship is as wide as the bridge was tall,” Schafer said.

“Certainly, I do think if we’re going to have lessons learned, it’s going to be around that kind of port maintenance and the way we handle getting the ships in and out when it’s going through critical infrastructure like this,” the professor added.

Why the Baltimore Key Bridge crumbled so spectacularly after it was hit by cargo ship

Ben Schafer, a structural engineering professor at Johns Hopkins University, said that he doesn’t believe most bridges would have withstood the impact of a modern cargo ship.

nypost.com

 

[Herat]

I thought of this near-disaster. TL : DR - a bridge inspector found a large crack on the I-40 bridge over the Mississippi River near Memphis, and called 911 to have the bridge shut down, even before calling his supervisor.

How authorities missed the flaw that nearly brought down the I-40 bridge

An in-depth analysis found repeated opportunities were missed over several decades to find a "fracture critical" flaw on the Mississippi River bridge.

www.ualrpublicradio.org

Great story. It shows how even periodic required inspections can go wrong if they are not done properly and no one follows up on abnormalities and recommendations.

I think also having a different group of people doing the inspections helps because you get fresh eyes to look at a developing issue that has not been properly taken car of before, out of someone feeling familiar with the issue.

 

[ifindedout]

I thought of this near-disaster. TL : DR - a bridge inspector found a large crack on the I-40 bridge over the Mississippi River near Memphis, and called 911 to have the bridge shut down, even before calling his supervisor.

How authorities missed the flaw that nearly brought down the I-40 bridge

An in-depth analysis found repeated opportunities were missed over several decades to find a "fracture critical" flaw on the Mississippi River bridge.

www.ualrpublicradio.org

There was an I-40 bridge in Oklahoma that wasn't so lucky, in 2002, though there was no previous structural weakness or failure:

I-40 bridge disaster - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[Seattle1]

Campos said he doesn’t believe the workers could have been evacuated.

“It happened in the blink of an eye… It couldn’t be done,” he said.

Campos is correct -- from the scanner, we know this collapse happened in less than 2 minutes. I don't think anybody expected the May Day call would result in the loss of the bridge-- instead, they knew to stop the traffic from entering the bridge but believed the Contractor only needed to get off the bridge for maybe an hour or two and could return to resume their work. Sorry for the families and also Mr. Campos.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

On Tuesday evening, the Guatemalan Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed two Guatemalan workers, ages 26 and 35 years old, went missing after the bridge collapsed.

How many people died in Baltimore bridge collapse? What we know about 6 missing workers

Officials believe there were eight workers on the bridge when it collapsed, and two were later rescued.

www.usatoday.com

 

[Herat]

“It’s a sound bridge design and had been used in other locations,” Schafer said, noting “there’s no indications of problems with it over time.”

The massive container ship, which can hold 130,000 tons of cargo and supplies, simply overwhelmed the bridge’s protective measures.

“Container ships have changed a lot since the 1970s. They’re bigger and bigger and bigger. When you see the images now, the container ship is as wide as the bridge was tall,” Schafer said.

“Certainly, I do think if we’re going to have lessons learned, it’s going to be around that kind of port maintenance and the way we handle getting the ships in and out when it’s going through critical infrastructure like this,” the professor added.

Why the Baltimore Key Bridge crumbled so spectacularly after it was hit by cargo ship

Ben Schafer, a structural engineering professor at Johns Hopkins University, said that he doesn’t believe most bridges would have withstood the impact of a modern cargo ship.

nypost.com

At this point, I don't think it is the fault of the bridge design or build. To my untrained eye, the concrete pilings are not well protected, but then who can protect against the momentum of a 95,000 ton hit ?

Any bridge would be at risk of you have a behemoth craft like this without power to steer, maneuver, or stop.

 

[steeltowngirl]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1772768242479636884

 

[imstilla.grandma]

The briefing said “initial reports” suggested a harbor pilot and assistant who were on board reported “power issues, multiple alarms on the bridge and the loss of propulsion prior to the incident.”

The report said the pilot will undergo “post-accident drug and alcohol testing.”

Homendy said at Tuesday afternoon’s news conference that the vessel data recorder will be “critical” to the investigation. She said agency investigators had chosen not to immediately board the vessel to secure the recorder, to “allow some time for the search and recovery,” but added that she expected to have more information Wednesday.

Similar to the “black boxes” found on airplanes, voyage data recorders can help investigators to identify the cause of an accident.

Homendy largely declined to answer specific questions about potential causes or contributing factors, including whether the vessel dropped anchor and whether there should have been additional protective structures around the bridge piers. She also declined to say whether the bridge had been flagged for safety deficiencies in the past, saying that it would “take time to dig through.”

Key Bridge collapse probe expected to examine cargo ship’s reported loss of power

The NTSB is expected to investigate “Initial reports” that a harbor pilot on board the container ship Dali said there were “power issues, multiple alarms on the bridge, and the lo…

www.baltimoresun.com

 

[Seattle1]

Baltimore bridge collapse wasn't first major accident for giant container ship Dali

The container ship that hit the Baltimore bridge on Tuesday was involved in a previous accident in 2016 when it slammed into a stone pier.

www.usatoday.com

3/26/24

[..]

The ship in Tuesday's crash, Dali, was involved in at least one prior accident when it collided with a shipping pier in Belgium.

That 2016 incident occurred as the Dali was leaving port in Antwerp and struck a loading pier made of stone, causing damage to the ship’s stern, according to VesselFinder.com, a site that tracks ships across the world. An investigation determined a mistake made by the ship’s master and pilot was to blame.

No one was injured in that crash, although the ship required repair and a full inspection before being returned to service. The pier – or berth – was also seriously damaged and had to be closed.

VesselFinder reports that the Dali was chartered by Maersk, the same company chartering it during the Baltimore harbor incident.

The 9-year-old container ship had passed previous inspections during its time at sea, but during one such inspection in June at the Port of San Antonio in Chile, officials discovered a deficiency with its "propulsion and auxiliary machinery (gauges, thermometers, etc)," according to the Tokyo MOU, an intergovernmental maritime authority in the Asia-Pacific region.

The report provided no other information about the deficiency except to note that it was not serious enough to remove the ship from service.

[..]

Why did Dali crash into the Baltimore bridge?​

Officials said Tuesday they’re investigating the collision, including whether systems on board lost electricity early Tuesday morning, which could be related to mechanical failure, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly.

Accidents at sea, known as marine casualties, are not uncommon, the source told USA TODAY. However, “allisions,” in which a moving object strikes a stationary one with catastrophic results, are far less common. The investigation of the power loss aboard the Dali, a Singapore-flagged vessel, will be a high priority.

In a video posted to social media, lights on the Dali shut off, then turned back on, then shut off again before the ship struck a support pier on the bridge.

Numerous cargo and cruise ships have lost power over the years.

The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea requires all international vessels to have two independent sources of electricity, both of which should be able to maintain the ship's seaworthiness on their own, according to a safety study about power failures on ships, citing the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea.

The Dali's emergency generator was likely responsible for the lights coming back on after the initial blackout, Diamond said.

“There was still some steerage left when they initially lost power,” he said. “We’ve been told the ship never recovered propulsion. The emergency generator is a diesel itself – so if you light off the generator, that’s also going to put off a puff of exhaust.”

Under maritime law, all foreign flagged vessels must be piloted into state ports by a state licensed pilot so the Dali's pilot is licensed by Association of Maryland Pilots.

Diamond described the incident based on information from the Maryland agency that licensed the pilot aboard the ship. His organization represents that group and all other state piloting agencies in the US.

“The pilot was directing navigation of the ship as it happened,” he said. “He asked the captain to get the engines back online. They weren’t able to do that, so the pilot took all the action he could. He tried to steer, to keep the ship in the channel. He also dropped the ship’s anchor to slow the ship and guide the direction.

 

[MollyHarps]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1772768242479636884

Very sad but inevitable - I hope the bodies can be recovered ASAP

Looking at the video footage I hope and I believe this would have been over fast for the 6 road crew members I hope they didn’t know anything that was happening ( I believe the other two who survived must have been slightly further up the bridge as I can’t see anybody surviving from the middle part of the structure. Moo)

Thoughts go out to the families

My thoughts also go to the crew members of the ship who tonight probably feel so guilty when it sounds like they tried everything they could to prevent this tragedy.

 

[ifindedout]

Fascinating interview (CBS news video) and discussion is with a very experienced atty in maritime issues and an advisor at other harbors, James McCanty ("phonetic" spelling of his last name...prolly spelled differently) But, I digress...he had an interesting tidbit on what "should or has been done when ships lose power/steering/thrust etc and he says/implies "immediately dropping anchors" could have slowed down the ship. But is reserving final conclusion until "black box-type" recording of actual events is retrieved and examined. (New York board of pilot commissioners etc...very knowledgable man.)
His interview is intriguing, nonetheless.

James Mercante. (posting this for the benefit of future forum searches)

 

[IDK]

Does anyone know if it was the harbor pilots who were on board who initiated the mayday call, or was it the ship’s crew? Just curious.

 

[Herat]

Does anyone know if it was the harbor pilots who were on board who initiated the mayday call, or was it the ship’s crew? Just curious.

Wouldn't it have to be the pilot in command, the Harbor Pilot? That would be the person best-versed in how to contact emergency services and the Coast Guard.

 

[Seattle1]

Does anyone know if it was the harbor pilots who were on board who initiated the mayday call, or was it the ship’s crew? Just curious.

I'm sure it was the Pilot or the Captain:

“The pilot was directing navigation of the ship as it happened,” he said. “He asked the captain to get the engines back online. They weren’t able to do that, so the pilot took all the action he could. He tried to steer, to keep the ship in the channel. He also dropped the ship’s anchor to slow the ship and guide the direction.

^^rsbm

 

[Seattle1]

Live updates: Baltimore Key bridge collapses after ship collision

Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed early Tuesday after it was struck by a large ship, according to video obtained by CNN. Follow live updates here.

www.cnn.com

March 26, 2024

The pilot of the ship that crashed into the Baltimore bridge Tuesday did “everything that he could have done” to slow the ship and keep it from drifting toward the bridge, said Clay Diamond, executive director and general counsel of the American Pilots Association.

Diamond has been in close communication with the Association of Maryland Pilots over what unfolded on the Dali cargo ship in the moments leading up to the crash.

“Just minutes before the bridge, there was a total blackout on the ship, meaning that the ship lost engine power and electrical power, it was a complete blackout,” Diamond told CNN.

At that point, according to Diamond, the pilot did “everything that he could have done” to both slow the ship down and keep it from drifting to the right, toward the bridge.

The pilot quickly gave a string of orders, calling for a hard rudder to port – as far left as possible -- and for the anchor to be dropped.

Additionally, Diamond said, the pilot was the one who contacted the pilot dispatch office to shut down traffic to the bridge.

“Those were all the appropriate steps but it happened so quickly and with so little lead time ... neither one of those maneuvers were enough,” said Diamond.

Diamond pointed out that while the lights on the boat could be seen turning back on – likely due to an emergency generator activating after the initial blackout -- the ship’s engines never got running again.

Pilot training programs are extensive and rigorous, according to Diamond, requiring years of experience navigating ships on the water, classroom simulations, and working under the supervision of licensed pilots.

 

[Herat]

I think the job of Harbor Pilot is really interesting. You are taking over someone else's billion-dollar vessel and are trusted to thread it through complicated navigation in tight quarters, regardless of the weather. You really have to understand how each ship works and responds to commands. You have to have a very precise and experienced knowledge of local navigational topography, of tides and currents, of charts. You have to be able to function with all kinds of people, some of whom may not speak your same language or be deferential to your decisions.

As mentioned earlier, it's even dangerous to get onto these behemoth ships to begin with, sometimes having to helicopter into them if you can climb the 30 ' ladder on the side of the heaving ship.

It's like being an airline pilot who does the departure of huge and heavy planes with extremely valuable cargo, in horrible weather and dangerous air traffic, then when things smooth out, you parachute out of the plane and let the regular crew take over.