What we know about the Baltimore bridge collapse
BALTIMORE– A cargo ship rammed the Francis Scott Bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, causing the span to collapse and prompting rescuers to launch a massive search for at least six missing people.
Here’s what we know about the disaster so far:
The operators of the Dali freighter issued a distress notice that the ship had lost power just before the crash, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said. But he said the ship was still hurtling toward the span at “very, very high speed.”
The 300-meter-long ship struck one of the 2.6-kilometer-long bridge supports, causing the span to break and fall into the water within seconds. The ship caught fire and billowed thick, black smoke.
Synergy Marine Group, which manages the ship, said it was under the control of one or more pilots, local specialists who help ships navigate safely to ports.
The ship was moving at a speed of 8 knots, which is about 9 miles per hour, when it hit the span, the governor said.
Two people were rescued, but officials said six people were still missing as of late morning. It was believed they were all part of a construction crew that was repairing holes in the bridge.
Sonar had detected cars in the water, which is about 15 meters deep. The water temperature before sunrise Tuesday was about 47 degrees Fahrenheit (8 degrees Celsius), according to a buoy that collects data for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Kevin Cartwright, communications director for the Baltimore Fire Department, told The Associated Press that several vehicles were on the bridge at the time of the collapse, including one the size of a tractor-trailer. He called the collapse an “evolving mass casualty event,” although he did not know how many people were affected.
The ship is owned by Singapore-based Grace Ocean Private Ltd., which said all crew members, including the two pilots, were accounted for and there were no reports of injuries involving anyone on board.
The ship’s warning allowed authorities to restrict vehicular traffic on the span. Moreover, the accident occurred at 1:30 a.m., well before the busy morning rush hour, when thousands of cars normally cross the stretch.
All ship traffic into and out of the Port of Baltimore has been suspended until further notice, although the port remains open to trucks, Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said.
According to the state, the port handled a record volume of 52.3 million tons of foreign cargo worth $80 billion last year. In addition to freight, more than 444,000 passengers left the port in 2023.
The port is an important shipping hub on the east coast. The bridge spans the Patapsco River, which huge freighters use to reach the Chesapeake Bay and then the Atlantic Ocean.
According to Marine Traffic records, the Dali was en route from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka, flying the flag of Singapore.
Danish shipping company Maersk said it had chartered the ship, which was carrying its customers’ cargo. There were no crew members or Maersk personnel on board. But the collapse sent Maersk shares on the Nasdaq Copenhagen tumbling 2% in early Tuesday trading.
According to a 2018 report from the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure, 35 major bridges collapsed worldwide due to collisions with ships or barges between 1960 and 2015, killing a total of 342 people.
Eighteen of those collapses occurred in the United States.
Among them was a 2002 incident in which a barge struck the Interstate 40 bridge over the Arkansas River near Webbers Falls, Oklahoma, sending vehicles plunging into the water. Fourteen people were killed and eleven were injured.
In 2001, a tugboat and barge struck the Queen Isabella Causeway in Port Isabel, Texas, causing part of the bridge to collapse 80 feet into the bay. Eight people were killed.
In 1993, ships pushed by a tugboat in dense fog struck and displaced the Big Bayou Canot railroad bridge near Mobile, Alabama. Minutes later, an Amtrak train with 220 people on board reached the relocated bridge and derailed, killing 47 people and injuring 103 others.