Parts of the Francis Scott Key Bridge remain after a container ship collided with one of the bridge’s support Tuesday, March 26, 2024 in Baltimore. (WJLA via AP)
Baltimore Key Bridge collapses after ship collision
“Too early to tell” if reports of power outage on the ship are true, NTSB chief says
By Helen Regan, Kathleen Magramo, Antoinette Radford, Alisha Ebrahimji, Maureen Chowdhury, Rachel Ramirez, Elise Hammond, Aditi Sangal and Tori B. Powell, CNN
CNN – It’s “too early to tell” in this stage of the investigation if reports of power outage on the ship are true, National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said.
“We have been made aware of those same reports about there being a power outage. I’ve also seen statements, media releases from Singapore as well. It’s something that we take in, but something that we have to verify through our investigation that that was what was part of the contributing cause here,” she told reporters on Tuesday afternoon. “So too early to tell.”
Earlier Tuesday, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said the crew of the ship notified officials that it had lost power prior to the crash. Lights on the ship flickered and a dark plume of smoke could be seen billowing from it before it veered toward a bridge pillar shortly before impact, CNN analysis of data from MarineTraffic shows.
Homendy said it will “take time” to determine whether bridge has been flagged for any safety deficiencies
From CNN’s Rachel Ramirez
National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said it will “take time to dig through” whether the Francis Scott Key Bridge has ever been flagged for any safety deficiencies.
Homendy at a news conference pointed to the agency’s recent investigation of the Fern Hollow Bridge collapse in Pittsburgh in 2022, which “took almost two years to get information” on bridge inspections and whether or not records existed, she said.
“It’s a very cumbersome process,” Homendy added. “It’s a very meticulous process where they have to dig through a lot of information, so it will not be something that we will be able to verify well on.”
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore during an earlier news conference said that the now-collapsed Baltimore bridge was “fully up to code” and had no structural issues.
Part of investigation will look into how the collapsed bridge was constructed, NTSB official says
From CNN’s Maureen Chowdhury
A National Transportation Safety Board official said that the structure of the collapsed Baltimore bridge will be looked into as part of the agency’s investigation.
“There’s some questions about the structure of the bridge,” NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy said.
Homendy said that NTSB is “aware of what a structure should have” and will look into how the Francis Scott Key Bridge was built and investigate the structure itself.
“All of that will be a part of our investigation. We go very broad in our investigation,” she said.
Priority has “been on the people” as search and rescue efforts continues, NTSB chair says
More than 12 hours after a cargo ship hit a Baltimore bridge, causing it to collapse, the head of the National Transportation Safety Board said focus is still on finding people.
Chairperson Jennifer Homendy said she could not share many details about what happened yet and the priority is search and rescue operations.
The NTSB is leading the investigation into the incident at the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
At least six people are still unaccounted for, officials said previously.
NTSB plans to look into if and when the ship dropped its anchor, chair says
The cargo ship Dali sits in the water after running into and collapsing the Francis Scott Key Bridge on Tuesday in Baltimore. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
The Singapore-registered DALI container ship that struck the Baltimore bridge dropped its anchor prior to impact as part of its emergency procedure, according to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore.
National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said the agency will look into if and when the ship dropped the anchor, but there is no information as of now.
NTSB investigation will look at prior safety inspections of the vessel, chair says
The National Safety Board’s investigation will look “in-depth” at safety information, anything that may have occurred before Tuesday’s incident, any safety history for the vessel and any sort of maintenance that was done, National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said.
“We will look at all of that but it’s much too early for all of that,” she said.
NTSB is “standing back” to allow Coast Guard to continue search and rescue efforts
A US Coast Guard vessel secures the perimeter following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on Tuesday. Julia Nikhinson/Reuters
Danish shipping giant said it is “omitting” Baltimore on all its services following bridge collapse
The steel frame of the Francis Scott Key Bridge lies in the water after it collapsed in Baltimore on Tuesday. Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
Danish shipping giant Maersk said in a statement on Tuesday that it is dropping Baltimore on all its services for the foreseeable future following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
“Due to the damage to the bridge and resulting debris, it will not be possible to reach the Helen Delich Bentley port of Baltimore for the time being,” the company said in a statement. “In line with this, we are omitting Baltimore on all our services for the foreseeable future, until it is deemed safe for passage through this area.”
The container ship that collided with a pillar of the bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday morning, the DALI, was chartered by Maersk and carrying Maersk customers’ cargo, the company said earlier. It also said the DALI is owned by Grace Ocean and operated by Synergy Group.
No Maersk crew and personnel were onboard the vessel, the company noted.
Ships headed to Baltimore will divert to nearby ports, from which it will be possible for cargo to use other means of transportation to reach their final destinations, the company added.
For cargo set to be released in Baltimore, the company said to expect delays, as they look for other port alternatives.
