bridge in Baltimore collapsed after a ship collision against a pillar

[Uwek]

The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore in US-state Maryland collapsed

Video footage shows the moment the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed after it was struck by a large ship.
The footage shows a towering boat headed directly toward one of the bridge’s support columns before colliding with it, sending a massive stretch of the bridge crashing into the water below in mere seconds.
The crash sent large plumes of smoke and fire into the air and part of the bridge appeared to collapse over the front of the boat, the footage showed.
Dark smoke continued to rise into the air for several minutes.

The 1.6-mile, four-lane bridge extends over the Patapsco River and serves as the outermost crossing of the Baltimore harbor and an essential link of Interstate-695, or the Baltimore Beltway.

Live updates: Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge collapses after ship collision

Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed early Tuesday after it was struck by a large ship, according to video obtained by CNN. Follow live updates here.

edition.cnn.com

Francis Scott Key Bridge (Baltimore) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Uwek]

The ship which hit the column is the DALI

DALI, Container Ship - Details and current position - IMO 9697428 - VesselFinder

Vessel DALI (IMO 9697428, MMSI 563004200) is a Container Ship built in 2015 and currently sailing under the flag of Singapore.

www.vesselfinder.com

Many are feared dead in Baltimore following a dramatic bridge collapse tonight after the 9,962 teu Dali containership smashed directly into one of the bridge’s pillars.

The Maryland Transportation Authority and US Coast Guard confirmed an incident on the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

It is being seen as a developing mass casualty incident with multiple vehicles and many individuals said to be in the water.

Reports on the collapse of the longest bridge in Baltimore, and the world’s third-longest continuous truss bridge, came in around 1.30 hrs local time Tuesday. Initial reports suggest there were around 20 people on the 2.57 km long bridge at the time of the incident.

Baltimore mayor Brandon Scott said emergency personnel were at the scene and rescue efforts were underway. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Kevin Cartwright, the director of communications for the Baltimore fire department, said emergency responders were searching for at least seven people believed to be in the water.

The 300 m-long Dali is listed on VesselsValue as owned by Grace Ocean Investment and registered in Singapore. All crewmembers, including the two pilots, have been accounted for and there are no reports of any injuries. There has also been no pollution.

The vessel had left Baltimore at 1 am and was heading for Colombo, Sri Lanka, according to the maritime data platform MarineTraffic. Video footage of the accident suggests the 2015-built boxship lost power intermittently before colliding with the bridge.

The majority of Baltimore’s shipping terminals lie behind the downed bridge with many ships now trapped. The port of Baltimore ranks first nationally in automobiles and light trucks, first in roro cargo, first in gypsum imports, second in imported sugar, and second in exported coal.

Mass casualties feared as boxship takes out bridge in Baltimore - Splash247

Many are feared dead in Baltimore following a dramatic bridge collapse tonight after the 9,962 teu containership smashed directly into one of the bridge’s pillars. The Maryland Transportation Authority and US Coast Guard confirmed an incident on the Francis Scott Key Bridge. It is being seen as...

splash247.com

 

[Uwek]

DALI Current position (Container Ship, IMO 9697428) - VesselFinder

DALI last position is 39 N, 77 W. TRACK ON MAP...

www.vesselfinder.com

 

[Rob. T.]

Tragic Uwek have just watched this on Breakfast time news here in Scotland.

Wishing Everyone in Baltimore and the US who have direct family or relatives involved in this Tragic event all the best that none were injured etc..

 

[Rob. T.]

I am wondering if something has happened to the person/personnel that the ship seems to have gone in the wrong direction and hit one of the columns of the bridge rather than go to the middle and pass underneath it.

 

[Uwek]

Baltimore bridge collapse: Aerial shots show aftermath of container ship crash

The Singapore-flagged container ship Dali crashed into the bridge at around 1:30am local time, causing a large section to collapse into the water afterwards.

news.sky.com

 

[Uwek]

I am wondering if something has happened to the person/personnel that the ship seems to have gone in the wrong direction and hit one of the columns of the bridge rather than go to the middle and pass underneath it.

in the post before you can see the longer video - seems, that the ship had a problem with the rudder - or the helmsman had a problem

Imagine, that would have happened during rush hour .....

 

[Rob. T.]

I am thinking Rudder rather than helmsman as I would think there would be more than one person at the Helm to avert this problem.
Also with the ship moving having just left port then the Rudder must have went somewhere in between port and the bridge presuming the ship had to use its Rudder to leave port ??

 

[Uwek]

 

[Uwek]

Looking once more the longer video, it is obvious, that the container ship had problems with the electric, because twice the lights were going off on the complete ship, shortly before the contact with the bridge - they had twice a blackout

lights on


lights off




lights on




lights off




lights on


impact


The ship had a problem with the electric. so I guess also no control about the rudder and maybe also not the engine

 

[Corsair]

It reminds me of when the skyway bridge here in FL was hit here close to my home back in about 1978 or 79.
Tragic. I hope and pray for all those involved !

 

[Uwek]

Sorry, that this accident is bother me very much

I love ships and in addition I am civil engineer specialist for bridges

Looking at the construction of the bridge it is no wonder, that the bridge was collapsing after such a hit - the pillars are not really protected against ship collisions








especially a bow like this of the Dali, will hit earlier the concrete structure of the pillar, before the foundation is touched - and the small piles appr. 100 meter before the bridge pillars are only toys for such heavy vessels

On this photo you can see where and in which height the vessel hit the pillar - even you can see concrete elements on top of the ship



So the so called "anti-ship-collision" was absolutely not working





It was a really huge bridge with only toy protection

 

[Rob. T.]

Sorry, that this accident is bother me very much

I love ships and in addition I am civil engineer specialist for bridges

Looking at the construction of the bridge it is no wonder, that the bridge was collapsing after such a hit - the pillars are not really protected against ship collisions

View attachment 437633

View attachment 437631


View attachment 437630

especially a bow like this of the Dali, will hit earlier the concrete structure of the pillar, before the foundation is touched - and the small piles appr. 100 meter before the bridge pillars are only toys for such heavy vessels

On this photo you can see where and in which height the vessel hit the pillar - even you can see concrete elements on top of the ship

View attachment 437632

So the so called "anti-ship-collision" was absolutely not working

View attachment 437628

View attachment 437629

It was a really huge bridge with only toy protection

And of course we are not talking about any ship.
References on Google quoted the weight of the Dali container ship and containers being of 100,000 Tons. I don't think any bridge would stand up to that kind of weight going at speed.

You can guard against many things but what are the odds of a 100,000 ton ship going at speed and plowing into a bridge ???

Are bridges built to stand up to this amount of pressure which probably equals that of a Tsunami, of course I am just guessing here but can't be far off.

We really need to know what speed the ship was doing against its tonnage weight before we can calculate the pressure that hit the bridge I think.

 

[Don Case]

Even if the ship is going dead slow this almost qualifies as the "irresistible force meeting the immovable object".

 

[Rob. T.]

I think also my previous assumption of being "Tsunami like pressure" would also be wrong.
A Tsunami pressure would be more widespread across a larger area. In his case the pressure is contained to one particular spot, therfore I would think the pressure would be greater, and maybe because of this we have the Domino effect within the structure itself.

 

[John Hendrix]

it appears the ship was going about 7 knots at the moment of the collision.

And of course we are not talking about any ship.
References on Google quoted the weight of the Dali container ship and containers being of 100,000 Tons. I don't think any bridge would stand up to that kind of weight going at speed.

You can guard against many things but what are the odds of a 100,000 ton ship going at speed and plowing into a bridge ???

Are bridges built to stand up to this amount of pressure which probably equals that of a Tsunami, of course I am just guessing here but can't be far off.

We really need to know what speed the ship was doing against its tonnage weight before we can calculate the pressure that hit the bridge I think.

 

[dockattner]

From our national news:

"Officials said in a news conference that a mayday had been issued before the collision, which allowed officials to stop traffic onto the bridge. Officials did not clarify how many vehicles were on the bridge at the time of the collapse."

"Who is missing? The contractors were on the bridge making concrete deck repairs at the time of the collapse, and six remain unaccounted for."

 

[Korsan]

A real live-thriller.What if it had happened in a rush hour .I feel very sad for all the involved people .Some things in our lives are predestined ,then you can only say wrong place wrong time

 

[Jimsky]

Here is the latest as of 11:00 PM (EST) New York, USA


The Dali container vessel after striking the Francis Scott Key Bridge that collapsed into the Patapsco River in Baltimore, Maryland, on Tuesday, March 26.

Search operation ends in "heartbreaking conclusion," Maryland governor says. Here's the latest

Six people, who were believed to be part of a road construction crew, are presumed dead after Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed early Tuesday morning. The collapse came after a 984-foot cargo ship hit the bridge's pillar.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore told reporters Tuesday evening it's a "really heartbreaking conclusion to a challenging day."
Late Tuesday, it was discovered that two of the construction workers who went missing after the bridge collapsed were from Guatemala, the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said late Tuesday.
Here's what you should know to get up to speed:

• The victims: Eight people were on the bridge when it fell, according to officials. At least two people were rescued — one was taken to the hospital and has been discharged.
• The incident: Video shows the moment the entire bridge structure falls into the water, as the ship hits one of the bridge's pillars. CNN analysis shows that the ships lights flickered and it veered off course before it hit the bridge. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said the crew on the ship were able to issue a "mayday" before colliding into the bridge, which allowed the authorities to stop incoming traffic from going onto the bridge.
• Response efforts: Earlier, dive teams from various state and local agencies were brought in to assist in search-and-rescue operations, according to Maryland State Police Secretary Col. Roland L. Butler Jr.. The mission started with 50 personnel and continued to grow before the Coast Guard announced Tuesday evening that it was suspending its active search-and-rescue operation and transitioning to a "different phase."
• The investigation: Authorities are still working to establish exactly how the crash occurred. The National Transportation Safety Board will look into how the bridge was built and investigate the structure itself. It will "take time to dig through" whether the bridge had ever been flagged for any safety deficiencies, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said.
• Rebuilding the bridge: US Sen. Chris Van Hollen said the path to rebuilding the bridge will be "long and expensive." Senior White House adviser Tom Perez told reporters Tuesday “it’s too early” to tell how long it will take to rebuild the bridge. President Joe Biden said Tuesday he wants the federal government to bear the full cost of rebuilding the collapsed bridge, noting that it will not wait for the company who owns the container ship DALI to shoulder the costs. Funding could come from the Federal Highway Administration as well as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, but it may require additional funding from Congress.

 

[janos]

OMG