The governor of Maryland stopped people from crossing the bridge after the ship sent an emergency signal, thus saving many people. It may be a while before one of the busiest ports on the US east coast can reopen.
The freight train Dali crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing the bridge to collapse in Baltimore. Photo: Reuters
How did Baltimore's largest bridge collapse?
At 1:04 a.m. on March 26, the cargo ship Dali, loaded with shipping containers, departed from the port of Baltimore, traveling down the Patapsco River toward Colombo, Sri Lanka.
At 1:24 a.m., while slowly approaching the Francis Scott Key Bridge, the ship lost power completely. All the lights there were turned off. About 1 minute later, the lights on the train turned back on. Black smoke began to rise from somewhere on the ship. After just a few seconds, the lights on the train went dark again.
At 1:27 a.m., the freight train collided with one of the bridge's pillars. A few minutes later, almost the entire bridge fell down. The US Coast Guard received the first report of the collision.
At 1:40 a.m., the Baltimore City Fire Department sent rescue teams to the Patapsco River, with reports of many people in the water. 10 minutes later, the first fire department arrived on the scene.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore said the bridge was operating properly and had no structural problems. Police said there were no signs of terrorism.
According to engineers, the Francis Scott Key bridge was designed as a metal truss with a suspended floor, so it collapsed after being hit by a ship into a main concrete pillar below - part of the bridge foundation.
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How did the incident cause casualties?
Maryland State Police said that at the time of the incident, there was an eight-person construction crew on the bridge repairing potholes. They fell from a height of 8m into the river. The water temperature at that time was only 56 degrees Celsius. According to research by the US Federal Aviation Administration, 8 degrees Celsius exceeds the limit that humans can survive when falling into water.
Six people fell into the water, missing and presumed dead. In addition, 6 people were rescued, including one seriously injured and one unharmed.
Maryland's governor said authorities saved many lives by stopping vehicles from crossing the bridge after the ship sent an emergency signal. It is known that the ship also anchored to avoid collision.
Information about the Dali cargo ship
According to LSEG data, the Dali ship is managed by Synergy Marine Group and owned by Grace Ocean Pte Ltd. The management unit said all 22 crew members on the ship were uninjured after the incident.
The ship is 289 meters long – similar to three football fields in a row – and is loaded with containers. The ship has a capacity of up to 3 TEU (unit of measuring cargo capacity, 10.000 TEU = 1 feet, weighs about 20 tons). At that time, the ship was carrying 26,28 TEU.
Previously in 2016, the same ship also encountered an incident at the port of Antwerp, Belgium when it crashed into a wharf while trying to leave the North Sea container port.
According to data on the Equasis website, which provides information about the ship, a subsequent inspection in June 6 in San Antonio (Chile) discovered the ship had defects in “propulsion and machinery”. Auxiliary".
A US Coast Guard search and rescue helicopter flies above the cargo ship Dali. Photo: Reuters
Information about the Francis Scott Key Bridge
The Francis Scott Key Bridge is one of three roads connecting to the Port of Baltimore, considered a transportation artery with an average of 31.000 cars passing each day, 11,3 million vehicles passing each year.
The steel bridge came into operation in 1977 with the purpose of serving the needs of transporting goods on the east coast of the United States. The bridge spans the Patapsco River, has 4 lanes and is 2,5km long, located 56m above the river surface.
Francis Scott Key Bridge is named after the author of the American national anthem, who wrote the lyrics for "The Star-Spangled Banner" in 1814 after witnessing the defeat of the British. during the Battle of Baltimore and the British bombing of Fort McHenry.
How did the bridge collapse impact the Port of Baltimore?
Traffic at the Port of Baltimore was delayed after the incident. It is one of the smallest container ports on the Northeast coast of America, handling only about one-tenth of the volume that passes through the ports of New York and New Jersey.
However, it is the largest US port in terms of shipping volume for agricultural and construction machinery, as well as agricultural products such as sugar and salt.
Container shipping expert Lars Jensen said the flow of containers to Baltimore will likely be redistributed to larger ports. However, there could be major disruptions in the transport of cars, coal and roads.
According to data from the Maryland Port Authority, it is America's busiest port for auto shipping with at least 750.000 vehicles shipped in 2023. The port is also America's second-busiest coal exporter. in 2023.
Hoai Phuong (according to AP, CNN, Reuters)
