The giant container ship that struck and felled the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore in the early hours of March 26 remains stuck beneath the bridge’s twisted remains. Authorities outlined plans to recover the victims’ bodies, free the ship, dismantle the wreckage and reopen the city’s port as quickly as possible.
They began clearing debris to clear the channel leading to one of the country’s busiest ports and have so far removed a 200-ton piece of bridge, officials said. As part of the operation, the authorities brought in a crane capable of lifting 1,000 tonnes.
On another front, federal investigators said they were interviewing key crew members and reviewing hours of recorded data. But the investigation into the ship crash could take years, they said.
The bridge is part of Interstate 695 and is a critical transportation link on the East Coast to one of the nation’s largest ports. The disaster became the deadliest bridge collapse in the United States in more than a decade.
Six construction workers went missing in the collapse and two of their bodies were found in the river on March 27. The other four were most likely trapped in falling steel and concrete and are presumed dead, authorities said.
Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland and the FBI said there was no credible evidence of a terrorist attack.
Here’s what we know.
Why did the ship hit the bridge?
It’s not yet clear, and investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board boarded the ship on the night of March 26 to gather documents. They got data from the voyage data recorder, which is essentially the black box. This was sent to a laboratory to help authorities establish a timeline of events leading up to the crash.
The 985-foot-long cargo ship, called Dali, was leaving the Port of Baltimore when it experienced a “total failure” that knocked out power to the engine and navigation equipment, an industry official said . The ship made a call for help just before hitting a critical part of the bridge, known as a pylon or pier. Radio traffic from rescuers suggested the crew was having difficulty steering the ship, according to audio published by Broadcastify. It was moving about nine miles per hour, officials said, which is typical in that area.
Audio from a Maryland Transportation Authority police channel showed the emergency call gave officers a few precious minutes to close the bridge to traffic. Efforts to quickly stop traffic likely kept more cars from driving on the bridge during the collapse and saved lives, officials said.
Baltimore Harbor pilots were steering the ship at the time of the accident, as is customary when ships enter ports or canals, according to a joint statement from the ship’s owner and manager. Two tugboats helped the ship out of the terminal, but then returned to port for their next mission, port officials said.
Governor Moore said the bridge was fully up to code and the collapse did not appear to be the result of a structural problem.
What do we know about the victims?
The two victims found March 27 were identified as Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, of Baltimore, and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, of Dundalk. Md. Mr. Fuentes was from Mexico and Mr. Cabrera was from Guatemala.
Jose López, a father of two who emigrated from Guatemala nearly two decades ago and worked repairing roads and bridges for the past two years, was also among the victims, his family said. But his body was not found.
Divers can no longer reach the area where they believe there are more vehicles – and victims – so authorities have embarked on a clean-up operation, removing debris. Once this operation is completed and the vehicles are accessible, divers will return to search for the bodies, police said.
One of the workers still missing is a Honduran citizen, Maynor Yasir Suazo Sandoval, in his 30s, who had lived in the United States for nearly two decades, according to Honduras’ Migrant Protection Service. A nonprofit that provides services to Baltimore’s immigrant community has identified another missing worker: Miguel Luna, a father of three from El Salvador in his 40s.
What about the ship and its crew?
The Dali is registered in Singapore and was heading to Colombo, Sri Lanka, according to MarineTraffic, a maritime data platform. It was carrying 4,700 shipping containers, according to Synergy Marine, its manager and operator.
The ship, which remains in the narrow shipping lane, has 1.5 million gallons of fuel and lubricating oil on board, said Vice Adm. Peter Gautier, deputy commander for Coast Guard operations, adding that 56 of the 4,700 containers still on the ship contained hazardous materials. “The hazardous materials on board pose no threat to the public,” he said.
An inspection of the ship last year at a port in Chile found the ship had a defect related to a set of gauges. But they were changed before the ship left, an official said.
All 24 of the ship’s crew members, including two Baltimore Harbor pilots who were steering the ship at the time of the accident, were accounted for and there were no injuries to those on board the ship, officials said. owners. On board were 22 Indian citizens.
The crew members remained on board the ship. It is normal for crew members to remain on board damaged ships as they must ensure that the crushed ship does not pose additional danger.
Dali’s crew members are most likely working to maintain the ship on a grueling schedule, similar to the one they would follow at sea. While keeping the ship operational, they are also fielding a barrage of questions from managers investigating the disaster.
Chris James, who works for consulting firm assisting Synergy Marine, said crew members had enough food and water, as well as enough fuel to run the generators. Once the National Transportation Safety Board and the Coast Guard complete their investigations, “we will consider possibly swapping the crew and bringing them home,” Mr. James said.
Some have had brief contact with crew members, sending them letters of support, care packages of homemade candy and muffins, and Wi-Fi hotspots. “We are here to support you,” one letter read.
What will the bridge cleanup and salvage process look like?
Construction of the bridge began in 1972 and was completed in March 1977. The bridge spanned 1.6 miles over the Patapsco River, but the overall structure of the crossing, including its connecting approaches, measured almost 11 miles long. It transported around 35 million vehicles per year.
Since the collapse, maritime traffic has been disrupted and a dozen ships are stuck in the port, which employs 8,000 people. After calling off the search for the missing workers, authorities turned their attention to cleanup and recovery.
Debris cleanup will likely be completed within a few weeks, according to engineering and salvage experts. But rebuilding the bridge will be a long process, federal and state officials have warned.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will fully cover the costs of clearing the canal, and the Biden administration has said it is allocating $60 million in emergency federal highway funds toward rebuilding the bridge.
The cleaning operation promises to be complex and potentially dangerous. Divers will have to battle fast currents and low visibility while cutting metal and concrete structures into more manageable pieces that can be removed.
“It’s intimidating; it’s complicated,” Gov. Moore said of the process. He has not yet given a specific timetable for the cleanup.
The Army Corps brought in a crane capable of lifting 1,000 tons to help authorities remove the debris from the water. Authorities can also use sonar technology to map twisted metal and asphalt that has sunk to the river bottom.
Authorities may first open a narrower shipping lane to allow stranded ships to exit the port, rescue experts said.
Work to rebuild the bridge could take several years, engineers estimate.
What remains of the bridge will need to be assessed for its structural soundness. Next, Maryland transportation officials will need to evaluate whether to build a larger road that can carry more vehicles and whether to raise the height of the bridge above the water to accommodate larger vessels which pass underneath.
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The report was provided by Luke Broadwater, Peter Eavis, Jacey Fortin, Nicolas Bogel-Burroughs, Anna Betts James Glanz, Jenny Gross, Mike Baker, Miriam Jordan, Patricia Mazzei, Emiliano Rodriguez Mega, Michael Corkery, Eduardo Medina, Michael D. Shearing, Zach Montague And Jin Yu Young.
