There is no indication that the accident was intentional
A shipping expert explains why a cargo ship could hit a Baltimore bridge, causing it to collapse.
A “mass casualty incident” was declared Tuesday when Baltimore's 1.6-mile-long Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed.
At around 1:35 a.m. local time, a Singapore-flagged container ship named DALI hit a pillar of the bridge, causing the bridge to collapse into the Patapsco River.
There were people on the bridge at the time, and the Baltimore City Fire Department said as many as 20 people were believed to have fallen into the water.
A shipping expert has now revealed what he believes was the main cause of the ship's collision with the bridge.
According to the BBC, the unnamed Singaporean expert has driven cargo ships through the Baltimore port several times.
After watching footage of the bridge collapse, he told the broadcaster that the main causes of the accident were likely:
- Host failure
- Steering failure
- Generator outage
- human error
He said: “This is an unusual turn of events. We are supposed to do all the checks on all parts of the ship before the ship sets off. This is part of the departure checklist. So if everything is done, obviously there is something was ignored.
“These ships are so huge. Even though their speed is very slow, their momentum is huge.”
He also wanted to know when the bridge's last structural inspection was, noting that it “should be inspected frequently” due to its location next to the port and the frequency with which ships pass under it.
The Baltimore fire chief said there was “no indication” the incident was an act of terrorism.
Shipping giant Maersk confirmed it had drawn a chart of the ship involved.
“We are shocked by what happened in Baltimore and our thoughts are with everyone affected,” the company said in a statement.
“We can confirm that the container ship 'DALI', operated by charter company Synergy Group, is time chartered by Maersk and is carrying cargo for Maersk customers.”
All crew members aboard the DALI have been accounted for and no casualties have been reported.
A large-scale search operation is still under way to find the whereabouts of the people, and two people have been rescued from the water.
Police confirmed at a news conference that the condition of one of them was “very serious.”
Built in 1977, the 3-kilometer (1.6-mile) Key Bridge is part of Highway 695, which loops around Baltimore.
When completed, it will be one of the longest continuous truss bridges in the world, according to the National Steel Bridge Alliance.
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