Bridge Catastrophe: What We Know So Far

The steel frame of the Francis Scott Key Bridge sit on top of a container ship after the bridge collapsed collapsed in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 26, 2024. The bridge collapsed after being struck by a container ship, sending multiple vehicles and up to 20 people plunging into the harbor below. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

A container ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, collapsing large sections of the 1.6-mile structure and hurtling as many as 12 vehicles and 20 people into the frigid waters of the lower Patapsco River at 1:28 a.m. on March 26.

At least two survivors were rescued. One refused medical treatment and the other was transported to a hospital in critical condition.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore declared a state of emergency.

“I recognize that many of us are hurting and scared right now,” he told reporters at about 10 a.m. “I want to be clear, we are still investigating what happened, but our preliminary findings points to an accident, we haven’t seen any credible evidence of a terrorist attack.”

“There is no specific or credible information to suggest there are ties to terrorism in this incident,” FBI special agent in charge of the Baltimore office William DelBagno told reporters.

Rescue operations, including the use of divers and sonar to locate submerged vehicles, are ongoing.

A mayday call from the commercial vessel involved may have saved lives, according to Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, saying that the call prompted officials to slow traffic to the bridge. “These people are heroes,” he said. “They saved lives last night.”

Cause Not Determined

The cause of the collision has not been determined, though some reports indicate that the ship lost power prior to the incident.

The DALI, a Singaporean-flagged vessel containing approximately 4,700 shipping containers, appearing in a livestream video of the bridge, seemed to go dark about one minute prior to the collision.

Synergy Marine, which operates the ship, reported that it was under the control of two local pilots when it struck the bridge. However, the ship “lost propulsion” as it was leaving port, and the crew notified Maryland officials they were no longer in control of the vessel according to an ABC News report, which cited an unclassified U.S. intelligence report.

All 22 crew members were accounted for and unharmed, along with two local pilots, according to a statement from Synergy Marine.

The vessel is owned by Grace Ocean Ptd Ltd, which is in turn owned by a group based in Hong Kong. The ship had been leased by the Danish shipping company Maersk.

“We are horrified by what has happened in Baltimore, and our thoughts are with all of those affected,” Maersk told The Epoch Times.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott issued a plea for media outlets to stop showing video of the bridge collapse.

“I’m going to be the first to ask that CNN and everyone else stop showing the video,” he said in a call to the cable news network. “No one needs to see a possibility of their family members and severely injured otherwise over and over and over again because it’s just traumatizing our community.”

Reaction

President Joe Biden “has been briefed on the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore and the ongoing search and rescue efforts” and “will continue to receive updates from his team throughout the day,” according to the White House.

“Horrific news this morning,“ Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) said in a statement on X. ”Praying for those who were on the FSK bridge. Thankful for @USCG @BaltimoreFire and all the first responders who are on the scene.”

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) called the tragedy “awful, horrific news” in a statement on X. “I’m praying for those who were on the bridge & thankful for emergency crews responding to this disaster,” he wrote. He later stated that he was traveling to Baltimore and closely monitoring the situation.

Impact

The Francis Scott Key Bridge—named for the author of America’s national anthem—was built in 1977. It carried an average of 31,000 vehicles daily along Interstate 695, forming the outer beltway around the city of Baltimore. The main span of the bridge, covering a distance of 1,200 feet, was destroyed.

Vessel traffic into and out of the Port of Baltimore is suspended until further notice. The Department of Transportation Port Administration says it is still processing trucks inside its terminals.

The port is one of the most significant trade hubs in the country, with 12 private and 5 state-owned public marine terminals. Last year, the private terminals handled a record 52.3 million tons of foreign cargo, up 44.2 million tons from 2019.

According to John Kartsonas, a shipping analyst and managing partner at Breakwave Advisors, deliveries of new cars and consumer goods will be the most impacted.

“Baltimore is very significant in terms of especially consumer goods, cars, and other things the U.S. imports from abroad,” Mr. Kartsonas said.

Baltimore Harbor was the shipping point for more than 847,000 cars and light trucks last year.

In addition to cargo ships, Baltimore is a popular port for large cruise ships and the industry is watching.

Cruise ship activity at the Port of Baltimore, based on 2024 published itineraries, includes 12 ships making a total of 115 ship calls during calendar year 2024.

It is the 29th largest cruise port in the United States with 378,000 passenger movements scheduled through the port. Any adjustments to current cruise activity at the port will be announced as soon as available by the individual cruise lines.

Mr. Van Hollen said that the Department of Transportation will allocate emergency funding to repair the bridge and that acting National Highway Transportation Administration Administrator Sophie Shulman and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg “will be releasing those early funds once all the parties are fully engaged.”

Synergy Marine reported that there was no pollution released by the DALI as a result of the incident.