Cargo Ship Pilot Called for Tugboat Help Before Baltimore Bridge Collapse: NTSB

The steel frame of the Francis Scott Key Bridge sits on top of a container ship after the bridge collapsed in Baltimore, Md., on March 26, 2024. Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

The pilot of the cargo ship that struck Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26 radioed for help from nearby tugboats and reported a power loss just moments before the crash, according to federal safety officials.

Speaking to reporters during a press conference on March 27, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said the findings were based on audio from the ship’s voyage data recorder, or VDR, which is similar to a “black box” data recorder fitted to airplanes.

The ship’s VDR, containing roughly six hours of data, was found by the Coast Guard and handed to NTSB, Marcel Muise, the safety board investigator, said.

However, the quality of the audio varies widely due to background noise, including alarms on the recordings, and will need to undergo additional analysis, he said.

Mr. Muise said the 984-foot-long Singapore-flagged cargo ship Dali was recorded leaving Seagirt Marine Terminal in Baltimore at 12.39 a.m. local time on the day of the crash.

Roughly 45 minutes later, the ship had entered the channel and was traveling at a land speed of around eight knots, or approximately 9.2 miles per hour, he said.

Timeline of Events

“At 01.24 and 59 seconds, numerous audible alarms were recorded on the ship’s bridge audio,” Mr. Muise said. “At about the same time, VDR sensor data ceased recording,” he continued, although recordings continued on a secondary power source, he noted.

“During this time, there were steering commands and rudder orders recorded on the audio,” the safety board investigator said. “The ship’s pilot made a general VHF radio call for tugs in the vicinity to assist.”

Around the same time, the pilot called the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) regarding a blackout on board the ship, Mr. Muise said.

The pilot then ordered the ship to drop anchor and gave additional steering commands. However, by 1.27 a.m. the pilot issued a radio call to report that the ship “had lost all power and was approaching the bridge,” according to Mr. Muise.

At that point, the MDTA issued an order to shut off all traffic on the bridge, resulting in all of the lanes on the bridge closing.

Officials say that decision ultimately saved many lives.

At around 1.29 a.m., as the ship was traveling at a speed of seven knots, “the VDR audio recorded sounds consistent with the collision of the bridge,” he said.

It’s at this moment that CCTV footage captured lights on the bridge flickering, Mr. Muise noted.

The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after a cargo ship struck a bridge support in Baltimore, Md., on March 26, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

Rescue Efforts Continue

Eight people, reportedly construction workers who were filling in potholes on the bridge at the time, subsequently fell into the Patapsco River.

Two of the individuals were rescued shortly after the collapse and are said to be in good condition despite sustaining injuries.

Police recovered the bodies of two more workers, who were found inside a pickup truck that was submerged approximately 25 feet below water in the Patapsco River, on March 27.

Rescue efforts remain ongoing for the remaining four missing individuals, who are presumed dead.

Elsewhere during the press conference, the NTSB confirmed the Dali was carrying more than 50 hazardous material containers when it struck the bridge. Some of the containers were breached.

The materials included corrosives, flammable, and some miscellaneous hazardous materials such as lithium-ion batteries, NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy said.

Officials are currently working to establish exactly how many of the containers were breached. However, the NTSB said it will not provide any of its findings while the investigation remains ongoing.

Reuters contributed to this report.