faq
The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed after being rammed by a freighter. What are the consequences of the incident? What is known about the cause? Is there still hope for the six missing people?
What happened?
On the night of March 26th, the Singapore-flagged container ship “Dali” rammed a support pillar of the “Francis Scott Key” bridge in Baltimore in the US state of Maryland. Large parts of the four-lane, more than 2.5 kilometer long bridge collapsed and steel girders weighing tons were bent by the force. Several vehicles and people fell into the approximately 15 meter deep water of the Patapsco River, at the mouth of which the bridge is located.
How many people are missing?
According to the police, six people are currently missing, but it cannot be ruled out that more people may have fallen into the water. The six missing people included people from Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador, according to the Mexican consulate in Washington. They were part of an eight-person work crew repairing potholes on the road surface when the bridge collapsed, authorities said.
Two people were rescued on Tuesday. The search for the missing people continued on Wednesday. However, the authorities now assume that none of them are still alive. They said they were only looking for the bodies. According to the coast guard, the work is proving difficult for the divers involved in the operation – currents and debris in the water are dangerous for the emergency services, and visibility under water is also low.
What was the cause?
How exactly the collision and collapse occurred is still unclear. According to the authorities, there is no evidence of an intentional act or even a terrorist attack. US President Joe Biden also spoke of a “terrible accident”. One cause may have been a problem with the container ship’s power supply as the ship headed toward the bridge at a speed of eight knots – about 15 kilometers per hour, according to Maryland Governor Wes Moore. The 289 meter long freighter reported a loss of propulsion shortly before impact and dropped anchor to slow down. This meant that the traffic authorities still had time to stop traffic on the bridge. It is unclear whether an attempt was also made to warn the work crew on the bridge.
The investigation has now begun. A team from the Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) secured the ship’s data recorder on board the “Dali”, the evaluation of which is hoped to provide further information on the course of the accident. According to the NTSB, the ship’s crew and other survivors as well as first responders are also being interviewed. The agency will also examine whether contaminated fuel played a role in the ship’s power outage, it said. In addition, the individual parts of the bridge will be gradually removed from the water in order to investigate why and how the collapse occurred.
There is currently no indication as to whether the condition of the bridge, which was built in the 1970s, could have contributed to the collapse. Maryland Gov. Moore said at a news conference that the bridge was in compliance and there were no known structural problems.
What impact does the collapse have?
The “Francis Scott Key” Bridge was considered a landmark in Baltimore. For around 31,000 people, it was part of the daily commute on one of the main routes between Washington and New York. The loss of the bridge is now impacting roads across Baltimore, forcing motorists onto two more congested port crossings and complicating daily commutes and regional traffic diversions likely for months or years to come.
The collapse also led to the closure of the port of Baltimore, which, according to US President Biden, is one of the most important maritime ports of call in the US – especially for the import and export of cars and light trucks. Around 850,000 vehicles are shipped via it every year. Around 15,000 jobs depended on it. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said they are preparing for supply chain problems. These not only affect the region around Baltimore, “but the entire US economy.” Still, economists and logistics experts doubt that the port’s closure would trigger a major supply chain crisis in the U.S. or a sharp rise in the price of goods, since competing shipping hubs along the East Coast have sufficient capacity.
However, the closure of the port, which specializes in unloading cars, could affect the exchange of goods with Germany. “Trade with Germany is likely to be affected by diversions,” Commerzbank trade expert Vincent Stamer told the Reuters news agency in view of the expected disruptions in trade in the Washington metropolitan region. The relevant ships would probably have to be rerouted to New York and Florida, which could lead to delays. The car manufacturer Mercedes said: “Baltimore is one of the ports used by Mercedes-Benz for vehicle imports, along with several other ports in the USA, including New Brunswick and Charleston.” We are in close contact with logistics service providers and are monitoring the situation. However, the incident is unlikely to have any consequences for the export of vehicles.
It is not known whether the accident has serious consequences for the environment. US media report, citing the Coast Guard, that precautions have been taken to keep such damage as low as possible. Accordingly, a sheen of oil could be seen on the water.
When will the route be usable again?
As the US engineer and structural engineer Matthew Roblez told CNN, the recovery of the bridge parts alone could take months and the reconstruction could take around two years. The costs for this would be around 500 million dollars (a good 460 million euros). US President Biden has announced that he will finance reconstruction with federal money.