< em>Photo: Francis Scott Key Bridge after the disaster. Baltimore, Maryland. March 26, 2024
Rescue workers in Baltimore pulled two people from the Patapsco River after they were killed in a crash caused by the collapse of the four-lane Francis Scott Key Bridge. One of them is in serious condition. The search continues.
As ABC News reports, citing an unclassified intelligence report, the Dali container ship, which crashed into one of the bridge supports, “lost traction.” leaving port, and the crew on board notified Maryland authorities that they had lost control of the vessel.
Baltimore authorities said at least seven vehicles were in the water, but could not provide an exact number.
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Baltimore Fire Department spokesman Kevin Cartwright previously told Reuters there could be as many as 20 people in the river, as well as “multiple vehicles, possibly a tractor trailer or a vehicle the size of a tractor trailer, (that) fell into the river.” He added that the operation to eliminate the consequences will last many days.
The disaster that occurred on Tuesday March 26 may be the most serious such incident in the United States since 2007, when the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis collapsed into the Mississippi River, killing 13 people.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore declared a state of emergency, seeking to immediately direct federal resources to eliminate the consequences of the emergency. The FBI said its officers were already on the scene. At a press conference, Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley said there were no indications that terrorists were involved.
Traffic at the Port of Baltimore has been suspended until further notice, according to Maryland transportation officials.
The port handles the import and export of major automakers including Nissan, Toyota, General Motors, Volvo, Jaguar Land Rover and the Volkswagen Group, including luxury models for Audi, Lamborghini and Bentley. It is reportedly the busiest U.S. port for vehicle shipments, with more than 750,000 vehicles shipped through the port in 2022.
More than 40 vessels remain in the Port of Baltimore, including small cargo ships, tugs and boats, according to data from MarineTraffic, a ship tracking and shipping analytics company. At least 30 other ships have signaled their destination – Baltimore, the data shows. According to MarineTraffic, at least 10 commercial vessels en route to the port anchored in nearby waters.
"Baltimore is not one of the largest ports on the East Coast of the United States, but it imports and exports more than a million containers annually, so this can cause significant disruption to supply chains,"– says Emily Stausboll, market analyst at ocean freight rate firm Xeneta.
According to LSEG ship tracking data, the vessel that struck the bridge was identified as the container ship Dali. under the flag of Singapore. The registered owner of the vessel is Grace Ocean Pte Ltd and the manager – Synergy Marine Group, according to LSEG data.
Synergy Marine Corp reported that the Dali vessel collided with one of the bridge supports and that all crew members, including the two captains, had been found and there were no reports of casualties.
At the time of the incident, the ship “Dali” was chartered by the shipping company Maersk, the Danish company said in a statement.
"We are horrified by what happened in Baltimore and our thoughts – with all the victims,”– emphasized in Maersk's statement.
Francis Scott Key Bridge – This is a four-lane structure 2.57 kilometers long, rising 56 meters above the river. It was opened in 1977. The bridge crosses the Patapsco River.
"Voice of America" recalls that Francis Scott Key wrote the song “The Star-Spangled Banner” in 1814 (“Star Spangled Banner”), witnessing the defeat of the British at the Battle of Baltimore and the British bombardment of Fort McHenry. The song he wrote became the US national anthem.
Prepared by: Sergey Daga