Ship which crashed into US bridge was heading to Sri Lanka with dangerous cargo

The ship which crashed into the Baltimore bridge, was heading to Sri Lanka with dangerous cargo capable of exploding – and had a “faulty” part, Britain’s the Mirror reported.

The Mirror report said the crash could have been even more disastrous, as the ship involved carried 56 containers loaded with dangerous cargo capable of exploding – and had a “faulty” part.

Jennifer Homendy, Chair of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), revealed that some of the containers – holding hazardous materials including flammable chemicals – onboard the Dali were damaged and leaked into the river below. In September 2023, an inspection found a faulty fuel pressure monitor gauge on the ship, but it was reportedly fixed before the ship set off.

On Wednesday, March 27, investigators started gathering evidence from the decimated site of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Two men were found inside a red pickup truck submerged in about 25 feet of water near the middle of the bridge, according to Colonel Roland L. Butler Jr, superintendent of Maryland State Police.

He named the men as Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, from Mexico and living in Baltimore, and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, from Guatemala and living in Dundalk, Maryland.

The six people caught in the bridge collapse, four of whom are still missing, were part of a team fixing potholes on the bridge. They came from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, according to Butler. Maryland’s Governor, Wes Moore, spoke directly to their families in Spanish during a press conference, which translated to “we are with you, now and always”.

All search efforts were exhausted, and based on sonar scans, authorities “firmly” believe the other vehicles with victims are trapped in material from the collapsed bridge, Butler said. Divers will start searching again once the debris is cleared.

Coast Guard Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath said they were told the ship was due for maintenance, he said at the press conference. “As far as the engine goes, we were not informed of any problems with the vessel,” he said.

The sudden loss of a major transport link, part of the highway loop around the city, has shocked the Baltimore region. The disaster also shut the port, which is crucial for the city’s shipping industry.

NTSB officials got on the ship to gather information from its electronics and paperwork and to talk to the captain and other crew members, Homendy said at another press conference. Two pilots, were amongst the 23 people onboard the ship when it crashed.

Marcel Muise, the top investigator from the NTSB, shared a timeline of events leading up to the crash. The Dali set sail at 12.39am on Tuesday and trouble started around 1.25am when lots of alarms went off.

A minute later, orders were given to steer the ship and move the rudder. At 1.26am and 39 seconds, a call was made for nearby tug boats.

Data from the Maryland Transportation Authority shows that around this time, the pilot association dispatcher told the transportation authority’s officer about the blackout. Just after 1.27am, the pilot told the ship to drop an anchor on the left side and gave more steering commands.

About 20 seconds later, the pilot said over the radio that the Dali had lost all power as it was getting close to the bridge. Around this time, the state transportation officer on duty told two of its units at each end of the bridge to stop vehicle traffic. They were already there because of construction work.

Around 1.29am, when the ship was moving at about 8mph (13kph), sounds that matched it hitting the bridge were recorded for about 30 seconds, said the NTSB. A dash camera from the Transportation Authority also shows the lights on the bridge going out. At 1.29am and 39 seconds, the pilot told the Coast Guard that the bridge had fallen.

Muise said experts will look at the whole voyage data recording and make a detailed transcript. When the ship hit the bridge column, at least eight people fell into the water, and two of them were saved on Tuesday, officials said.

Cars were still crossing the bridge as the ship got closer, and some seemed to get away with only seconds left. The crash made the bridge break and fall into the water in seconds.

Authorities had just enough time to stop cars. One officer parked his car across the lanes and planned to drive onto the bridge to warn the construction crew once another officer got there, but he didn’t get a chance.

Gov. Moore has warned of the dangerous conditions divers are facing, with mangled metal and poor visibility making their job incredibly difficult. He said: “They are down there in darkness where they can literally see about a foot in front of them.”

The Dali was travelling from Baltimore to Sri Lanka. It’s managed by Synergy Marine Group and owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd. Danish shipping giant Maersk had chartered it.

The sudden loss of a major highway that carries 30,000 vehicles daily and the disruption at the port will have a big impact. Not only will thousands of dockworkers and commuters be affected, but also consumers who may notice a delay in goods due to shipping being hampered.

Local resident Cat Watson, who used the bridge daily for her commute, highlighted the importance of the port. “A lot of people don’t realise how important the port is just to everything,” she said. “We’re going to be feeling it for a very long time.”

Baltimore is a key entry point for cars made in Germany, Mexico, Japan and the UK, as well as coal and farm equipment.

Ship traffic has been stopped for now. Windward Maritime, a company that manages maritime risks, reported a large increase in ships waiting for a port to go to, with some anchored outside Baltimore or nearby Annapolis.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg spoke at the White House, saying that President Biden’s team is working hard to open the port again and fix the bridge that was built. He didn’t say exactly when it would be completed, but he remembered that building the original bridge took five years.

Buttigieg is also going to talk with supply chain officials on Thursday. Boats, some with big cranes, are heading to the site to help clear up the mess, added Gilreath.

Homendy from the NTSB said their investigation might take one to two years, but they could give out important safety advice before then. We should get a first report in about two to four weeks. “It’s a massive undertaking for an investigation,” Homendy explained.

Between 1960 and 2015, there were 35 big bridges around the world that fell down because ships or barges crashed into them, says the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure. (Courtesy The Mirror)

The introduction of this story has been changed by Colombo Gazette