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

[Dhighsmith]

The saving grace is that this horror didn't occur at rush hour!

Absolutely agree and that entrance to bridge was blocked, sadly construction crew was unable to evacuate within the 90 seconds. Prayers for victims and family.

 

[iamshadow21]

The audio of the emergency calls to the police. I know others have listened, but I haven't. I know some of our WS members are d/Deaf or HoH, so this link might be helpful - there's a transcript complete with timestamps.

Radio Chatter Reveals How Officers Quickly Closed Bridge to Traffic

Officers immediately moved to keep cars off a bridge in Baltimore after a mayday from the ship that hit it, according to audio from a Maryland Transportation Authority Police channel.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Dhighsmith]

They did have 2 tugs, I read. Depending on the current and tides, perhaps that was not sufficient for that particular situation, considering the vessel was having propulsion problems.

I agree with you - No bridge could survive allision with such a large shipping vessel at that loaded weight.

In the nightime video, it seems as though the vessel never really quite lines up on the channel buoys before it starts "skidding" to port and then rapidly swings onto the pier it crushes. The angle on that video is not straight on but seems that the ship is not in the channel for some ways out.

I could be mistaken in my opinion- there’s video of varying angels, in one that’s zoomed in tight, appears maybe ship narrowly close to clearing bridge but then back side-swipes outside of pylon (possible reverse of engine), momentum from weight and spend was no doubt enormous force. The location of ship amongst debris just seems odd to me if pylon was struck by the bow, plus available images of bow shows no signs of impact, paint almost pristine.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Insurer Britannia P&I said in a statement that vessel, named the Dali, was entered with the club, adding that it was working closely with the ship manager and relevant authorities "to establish the facts and to help ensure that this situation is dealt with quickly and professionally".

Worters added she believed Aon (AON.N) was the insurance broker for the property policy for the bridge. Insurance Insider reported that Chubb (CB.BN) was the lead underwriter for the policy. Aon and Chubb declined to comment.
Initial estimates of the cost of rebuilding the bridge, which is likely to be paid by the federal government, are at $600 million, economic software analysis company IMPLAN said.

The closure of the port for just one month could see a total loss of $28 million for the state of Maryland, according to IMPLAN analysis.

https://www.reuters.com/business/insurers-brace-multi-billion-dollar-losses-after-baltimore-ship-tragedy-2024-03-27/

 

[MollyHarps]

Do we know when they’ll start removing parts of the bridge / vehicles in the water? I think that’s when some of the bodies will be recovered as I can imagine then being entangled in the rubble.

I hope the fact that they are immigrants won’t impact this investigation

 

[Herat]

I could be mistaken in my opinion- there’s video of varying angels, in one that’s zoomed in tight, appears maybe ship narrowly close to clearing bridge but then back side-swipes outside of pylon (possible reverse of engine), momentum from weight and spend was no doubt enormous force. The location of ship amongst debris just seems odd to me if pylon was struck by the bow, plus available images of bow shows no signs of impact, paint almost pristine.

I think the port bow shows significant impact underneath the toppled superstructure.

From the looks of the piers, they would only really have to cause one of the two lower legs to break to bring down the entire thing. The ship didn't really have to completely crush the pier for it to lose stability. IMHO.

 

[Herat]

Do we know when they’ll start removing parts of the bridge / vehicles in the water? I think that’s when some of the bodies will be recovered as I can imagine then being entangled in the rubble.

I hope the fact that they are immigrants won’t impact this investigation

DBM

 

[iamshadow21]

I hope that being inside their vehicles on a break, as one of the survivors described, means it will be easier to find the remains of the missing men.

They've said they don't believe anyone was inside the vehicles. I think they'd know pretty well from the statement of the uninjured survivor, and the drones they've sent down may have given them an idea of whether the vehicles were occupied.

MOO

 

[imstilla.grandma]

They've said they don't believe anyone was inside the vehicles. I think they'd know pretty well from the statement of the uninjured survivor, and the drones they've sent down may have given them an idea of whether the vehicles were occupied.

MOO

The survivor said they were sitting in the bed of the pickup.

 

[PrairieWind]

Here's an image of the Dali with an apparently much lighter load:

What is astonishing is that some of the super container ships allow stacking of containers 25 high on the deck. This photo only shows containers 5 stacks high.
View attachment 493174

From the photos I have seen from Baltimore, it appears the containers were stacked about 10 high, which appears to be the limit since they are up to the bottom of the bridge at that level.

 

[Betty P]

Musing about how the shipping trade and the Port of Baltimore have changed since the FSK Bridge was finished in 1979.

"With the expansion of the Panama Canal in 2016 to allow deeper and wider lanes for larger ships to pass through, Baltimore and other Atlantic coastal ports now can receive the larger cargo-carriers, often from the Far East, that previously were limited to the Pacific Coast. Indeed, Baltimore's 50-foot (15.2 meters) shipping channel and two 50-foot container berths allow it to accommodate two of the largest container ships in the world at the same time. On July 19, 2016, the Ever Lambent, a cargo-carrier from Taiwan, was the first supersized container ship to reach Baltimore through the Panama Canal."

"In 2023, the Port ranked first in the nation in handling automobiles, light trucks, farm and construction machinery, as well as imported sugar and gypsum. The Port ranked second in the country for exporting coal. In 2022, the Port ranked sixth for importing coffee, 119,000 tons worth $609 million."

"The top export commodities by weight in 2022 were coal, liquefied natural gas (LNG), wastepaper, ferrous scrap, and automobiles/light trucks. The top imports were automobiles/light trucks, salt, paper/paperboard, gypsum, and plywood/veneer/particle board."

"In 2023, cruises carrying more than 444,000 passengers departed from the Port of Baltimore's cruise terminal. The Port of Baltimore's cruise industry supports over 400 jobs and brings in over $63 million to Maryland's economy."

It's all very clear that this has been a hugely successful port that has posted yearly growth with increased volume and revenue. A major workhorse for east coast shipping and trade.

The implications for the local, east coast, and midwest economies in this loss of trade is substantial, if there is a significant delay in re-opening this port because of removal of the debris or demolition of remaining bridge structures.

Then the bridge rebuilding is a completely different concern.

Port of Baltimore, Maryland

The economic losses are mostly those related to the economy around the port. The freight will still move, it will just be re-routed to other US ports. Before the Panama Canal was expanded for larger ships, those moved from the Pacific Rim to western US ports, then to the midwest and east via rail. Some of that traffic will probably go back to those west coast ports until the big ships are able to access Baltimore ports. For traffic moving to and from South America, it can be switched over other ports in the southern US, moving via rail or truck for the overland part of the route. Customers, businesses, etc. in the midwest will still be able to ship or receive, so no real impact on local or regional economies.

Similar adjustments have to be made for other ports in response to accidents, hurricanes, etc. Carriers are accustomed to working these things out.

 

[Herat]

The economic losses are mostly those related to the economy around the port. The freight will still move, it will just be re-routed to other US ports. Before the Panama Canal was expanded for larger ships, those moved from the Pacific Rim to western US ports, then to the midwest and east via rail. Some of that traffic will probably go back to those west coast ports until the big ships are able to access Baltimore ports. For traffic moving to and from South America, it can be switched over other ports in the southern US, moving via rail or truck for the overland part of the route. Customers, businesses, etc. in the midwest will still be able to ship or receive, so no real impact on local or regional economies.

Similar adjustments have to be made for other ports in response to accidents, hurricanes, etc. Carriers are accustomed to working these things out.

Yes, I was reading about the Panama Canal and last year they had a terrible drought such that shipping traffic had to be reduced by 36%. As 40% of US shipping goes through the Panama Canal, that has an impact.

Surprised to see how much shipping goes through the Gulf of Mexico ports. I didn't realize that by volume, Houston is the largest port in the US, then it's South Louisiana, then Corpus Christie.

Baltimore is only #18 in the US.

 

[iamshadow21]

I think the port bow shows significant impact underneath the toppled superstructure.

From the looks of the piers, they would only really have to cause one of the two lower legs to break to bring down the entire thing. The ship didn't really have to completely crush the pier for it to lose stability. IMHO.

Also, what most people don't realise is that cargo ships tend to have a big pointy bit that projects out of the bow below the waterline. It looks rather... phallic, for want of a better word .

Search for 'cargo ship dry dock' in google and click on images. That projecting point would have been one of the first and main things that impacted the pylon. We just can't see it, because it's underwater.

EDIT: Here's a link to a lovely before and after photoset from a refurbishment and repair of a ship (not the Dali) by a dockyards, making her look shiny and new. She's in drydock, so you can see the full bow.

Container ship Elbstar was in dry dock – Emden Dockyard

www.emden-dockyard.com

MOO

 

[PrairieWind]

I could be mistaken in my opinion- there’s video of varying angels, in one that’s zoomed in tight, appears maybe ship narrowly close to clearing bridge but then back side-swipes outside of pylon (possible reverse of engine), momentum from weight and spend was no doubt enormous force. The location of ship amongst debris just seems odd to me if pylon was struck by the bow, plus available images of bow shows no signs of impact, paint almost pristine.

The right side of the bow is badly damaged where it hit.

 

[Herat]

From the photos I have seen from Baltimore, it appears the containers were stacked about 10 high, which appears to be the limit since they are up to the bottom of the bridge at that level.

Here is one of the biggest container ships in the world. It just under a quarter mile long, which is the top length that ports and the Suez Canal can take.

 

[Herat]

Also, what most people don't realise is that cargo ships tend to have a big pointy bit that projects out of the bow below the waterline. It looks rather... phallic, for want of a better word .

Search for 'cargo ship dry dock' in google and click on images. That projecting point would have been one of the first and main things that impacted the pylon. We just can't see it, because it's underwater

MOO

Bulbous bow

Reduces drag and improves fuel consumption considerably for ships with relatively low speeds for long periods of time.

And when the ship is light, seals get a free ride

 

[iamshadow21]

Bulbous bow

Reduces drag and improves fuel consumption considerably for ships with relatively low speeds for long periods of time.

And when the ship is light, seals get a free ride

View attachment 493193

I knew it must have a name that wasn't 'pointy thing', I just didn't know it!

That is adorable.

 

[Cool Cats]

Just how big was the ship that struck the Key Bridge?​

This graphic from the Associated Press offers a stark visualization of the size of the ship that hit the Key Bridge on Tuesday, causing it to collapse.

Baltimore Key Bridge collapse full coverage: 2 bodies recovered; remaining workers presumed dead as cleanup effort continues

Follow along for live updates after a container ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

news.yahoo.com

Could fenders have prevented the bridge collapse?​

When it comes to bridge engineering, protective barriers can help redirect or prevent a ship from crashing into the bridge's supports. The New York Times reports that the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed on Tuesday, did not appear to have an "obvious fender system."

Some engineers told the Times that the collapse might have been prevented if it had more effective barriers in place. This could be anything from pyramids of rocks to padded concrete rings surrounding the supports.

 

[steeltowngirl]

Watching Live CNN now. They recovered 2 victims in a red pickup truck. Identified, and families notified. FBI notifying families in Central America. Other vehicles are wrapped up in the concrete and debris.

I must say I am very impressed with the presentation of unified command. Informative and professional in a tough crisis as they update us about the catastrophic event.

** Apologies - looks like this was already posted upthread. I thought it was breaking news.

 

[Herat]

Just how big was the ship that struck the Key Bridge?​

This graphic from the Associated Press offers a stark visualization of the size of the ship that hit the Key Bridge on Tuesday, causing it to collapse.

Baltimore Key Bridge collapse full coverage: 2 bodies recovered; remaining workers presumed dead as cleanup effort continues

Follow along for live updates after a container ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

news.yahoo.com

Could fenders have prevented the bridge collapse?​

When it comes to bridge engineering, protective barriers can help redirect or prevent a ship from crashing into the bridge's supports. The New York Times reports that the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed on Tuesday, did not appear to have an "obvious fender system."

Some engineers told the Times that the collapse might have been prevented if it had more effective barriers in place. This could be anything from pyramids of rocks to padded concrete rings surrounding the supports.

The NYT doesn't seem to know that 42 years ago the NTSB recommended a fender type system for large bridges on commercial waterways.

And 42 years later the now-defunct FSK Bridge is a pile of metal in the water, possibly because no one followed up on that.