What we know and don’t know about the cargo ship that struck Baltimore’s Key Bridge
Updated: 12:30 PM CDT Mar 26, 2024
HAPPENED. WE’LL GET TO THAT VIDEO IN A SECOND. BUT THIS IS WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE SHIP. IT IS PRONOUNCED DOLLY. IT IS SPELLED D A L I, A SHIP THAT WAS SAILING UNDER THE SINGAPOREAN FLAG. WE KNOW THAT REPORTEDLY IT WAS BEGINNING A 27 DAY JOURNEY TO SRI LANKA, AND IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ARRIVING IN SRI LANKA APRIL 22ND. HERE IS WHAT WE KNOW FROM MARINE TRAFFIC.COM. WE WANT TO, UH, UH, CONFIRM THAT FROM MARINE TRAFFIC.COM AND THIS IS THIS INFORMATION SHOULD BE CREDITED TO IT. SO LET ME WALK YOU THROUGH WHAT WE KNOW. THIS SHIP BEGAN TO MOVE OUT FROM SHORE AT ABOUT 12:25 A.M., TAKING A LOOK AT THIS MAP RIGHT NOW, THIS ALL HAPPENED VERY QUICKLY. THE SHIP EVENTUALLY REACHED A TOP SPEED OF ABOUT TEN MILES PER HOUR. IT HAD BEEN MAINTAINING, ACCORDING TO MARINE TRAFFIC.COM, A RELATIVELY STRAIGHT COURSE OF 140 DEGREES. I’M NOT A SHIPPING EXPERT, BUT I AM GOING FROM THIS DATA THAT WE HAVE JUST RECEIVED NOW, ACCORDING TO THIS DATA, IT APPEARS THAT THIS SHIP BEGAN TO VEER AT ABOUT 124 IN THE MORNING. SO THIS WOULD ABOUT TO VEER A DEGREE 141 DEGREES. AND AT 126 IT WAS THEN PROCEEDING AT 145 DEGREES. AND WE ALL KNOW, HAVING LIVED AND WATCHED THIS ICONIC BRIDGE FOR SO LONG, THAT THE DEGREES CLEARLY MADE A DIFFERENCE HERE. AND THEN AT 152 DEGREES, IT VEERED OFF COURSE AT 1:27 A.M., THEN TO 158 DEGREES AT 128 RIGHT BEFORE THIS DEVASTATING AND CATASTROPHIC COLLISION. SO THE DATA SHOWS THAT THIS COLLISION OCCURRED, AS WE’VE BEEN REPORTING ALL MORNING AT ABOUT 1:29 A.M. THAT IS WHEN LIFE CHANGED IN THIS AREA. 1:29 A.M. WHEN THE DOLLY CRASHED INTO THE KEY BRIDGE, TAKING IT DOWN IN SECONDS. WE ARE CONTINUING TO MONITOR THIS AND GET SOME MORE INFORMATION. THE DOLLY IS OWNED BY GRACE OCEAN INVESTMENT, REPORTEDLY, AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO FIND SOME INFORMATION ABOUT THAT. BUT TAKING A LOOK AT THIS MAP HERE, WHICH GIVES YOU A SENSE OF HOW THE DEGREES, THE DEGREES OF THAT TURN MADE SUCH A CATASTROPHIC DIFFERENCE THIS MORNING AS THE KEY BRIDGE WENT DOWN BEFORE OUR VERY EYES. I THINK ALL OF US ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME THING, WHICH IS THAT WE ARE JUST GOBSMACKED. FLUMMOXED BY WHAT HAS HAPPENED HERE, SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE SEEN, SOMETHING THAT WE’VE ALL TRAVERSED MANY TIMES WE HAVE WITNESSED. I THINK WE APPRECIATE IT REALLY JUST THE TRANSPORTATION THAT WE LIVE WITH US, RIGHT? NOT ONLY UNDER THE BRIDGE, ON THE BRIDGE AND JUST THE FACT THAT THIS THING HAS COME DOWN AND WILL CHANGE ALL OF OUR LIVES. AND, YOU KNOW, WE CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE SEARCH AND RESCUE OF THAT AREA AS DAYLIGHT HAS BROUGHT SO MANY EYES ON THE WATER. AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THAT. I KNOW THAT WE ARE WAITING FOR A NEWS CONFERENCE, BUT I JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU A SENSE OF WHAT WE KNOW AT THIS POINT OF HOW THOSE DEGREES MADE A DIFFERENCE. GUYS. DEBORAH, THAT IS VERY FASCINATING THAT THAT THAT SEEING THE PATH AND THE SLIGHT CHANGE IN DEGREE, UM, IS VERY TELLING. I’M SURE FOR INVESTIGATORS AND I ALWAYS THINK OF FOR BOTH OF YOU, I DON’T KNOW IF DEB IS STILL THERE. I ALWAYS THINK OF WHEN A SHIP GOES UNDER A BRIDGE. I THINK OF THE HEIGHT. RIGHT. AND THAT’S WHAT ALWAYS GETS ME. OH, THERE’S GOING TO BE A CLOSE ONE, RIGHT? I WOULD NEVER THINK ABOUT THE PYLON BEING SOMETHING IN THE WAY. IT’S JUST NOT SOMETHING I WOULD HAVE EVEN THOUGHT OF. AND THE PILOTS THAT, YOU KNOW, OPERATE THOSE SHIPS OUT OF, IN AND OUT OF THE HARBOR, THESE ARE EXPERTS. THEY KNOW THAT. THEY KNOW THIS LIKE THE BACK OF THEIR HAND. YEAH, THAT’S ANOTHER QUESTION, RIGHT. IT’S NOT LIKE IT’S A CAPTAIN FROM ANOTHER AREA. NO, THIS IS A PILOT THAT DEALS WITH BALTIMORE’S HARBOR. YEAH, RIGHT. AND, DEB AND JUST THE FREQUENCY, YOU KNOW, WE WERE TALKING TO THAT GUY FROM THE SHIP. I MEAN, YEAH, THIS HAPPENS ALL DAY LONG. SHIPS GOING THROUGH ALL DAY LONG. AND WE’VE LIVED HERE FOR SO LONG THAT WE TAKE WE TAKE IT FOR GRANTED, RIGHT? WE TAKE IT FOR GRANTED OF OF REALLY? HOW DELICATE OF AN OPERATION THIS IS. EVERY SINGLE DAY. UM, I THINK IT WAS JENNIFER FRANCIOTTI WHO WAS REPORTING ON THE BACKUP RIGHT. THE BACKUP OF CARGO SHIPS. BECAUSE THIS IS JUST. THIS IS OUR ECONOMY. THIS IS THIS IS HOW WE HAVE LIVED FOR SO LONG. AND AND TO KNOW THAT IT IS THOSE DEGREES THAT MAKE SUCH A DIFFERENCE AGAIN, THIS WAS A SHIP THAT WAS JUST BEGINNING ITS JOURNEY BACK TO SRI LANKA. NOT EVEN A HALF HOUR INTO ITS JOURNEY. SO YOU KNOW, ALL OF US, I BELIEVE JUST WAKING UP AND SAYING HOW RIGHT, HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? AND OF COURSE, WE’RE WAITING FOR THAT NEWS CONFERENCE TO BEGIN TO GET SOME SENSE OF HOW. AND THERE’S SO MANY EYES ON THIS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT JUST WHAT HAPPENED THIS MORNING. YEAH. AND YOU’RE ALSO YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT THE DEGREES, BUT YOU’RE ALSO TALKING ABOUT THE TIMING. YEAH. I MEAN, THESE ARE I MEAN, THINK THE FIRST TIME STAMP YOU GAVE US WAS 124, BUT BY 127 WE’RE ALREADY OFF COURSE AND HEADED RIGHT FOR THIS THING. I MEAN, THIS IS THIS TOOK NO TIME. NO TIME FOR SUCH A GIGANTIC VESSEL TO MAKE SUCH A VEERING OFF COURSE, LOOKING AT THE MAP YOU’RE SHOWING US EARLIER. YEAH. NO TOP. YOU KNOW, I DON’T KNOW IF YOU GUYS HAD THE SAME EXPERIENCE THAT I DID, BUT I THINK WE’VE ALL. SOMEONE WOKE US UP THIS MORNING RIGHT? SOMEONE WOKE US UP AND SAID, YOU ARE NEVER GOING TO BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED, RIGHT? I KNOW MY HUSBAND WOKE ME UP AND SAID, DEB, THE KEY BRIDGE HAS COLLAPSED. AND I WAS SO CONFUSED. I SAID, THE BAY BRIDGE, RIGHT? I MEAN, I THINK WE’RE ALL JUST ESPECIALLY SO MANY OF US WHO’VE LIVED HERE FOR SO LONG, RIGHT? YEAH. AND AND WHO KNOW HOW ICONIC THIS BRIDGE IS. AND AND IT WAS LACEE WHO WAS SAYING, YOU KNOW, IT TOOK FIVE YEARS TO BUILD THIS THING. AND AND
What we know and don’t know about the cargo ship that struck Baltimore’s Key Bridge
Updated: 12:30 PM CDT Mar 26, 2024
A container ship lost power and rammed into a major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, causing it to snap and plunge into the river below. Several vehicles fell into the chilly waters, and rescuers searched for survivors.The operators of the ship issued a mayday call moments before the crash that took down the Francis Scott Key Bridge, enabling authorities to limit vehicle traffic on the span, Maryland’s governor said.Where was the ship going?The container ship that crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday was headed to Sri Lanka.Synergy Marine Group – which owns and manages the ship, called the Dali – confirmed the vessel hit a pillar of the bridge at about 1:30 a.m. while in control of one or more pilots, who are local specialists who help navigate vessels safely into ports.Video above: Maryland transportation secretary responds to Key Bridge collapseIt said all crew members, including the two pilots on board, were accounted for and there were no reports of any injuries.Do we know what caused the crash?It was not clear what caused the cargo ship to crash into the bridge long before the busy morning commute in what one official called a “developing mass casualty event.” Baltimore City Fire Chief James Wallace said dive crews “may be looking for upwards of seven people” but said that number could change.Authorities said a crew of unknown size was working on the bridge at the time of the collapse and that sonar had detected cars in the water, which is about 50 feet deep.What else do we know about the ship?The Dali was headed from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka, and flying under a Singapore flag, according to data from Marine Traffic. The container ship is about 985 feet long and about 157 feet wide, according to the website.Danish shipping giant Maersk said it had chartered the vessel, which was carrying its customers’ cargo. No Maersk crew and personnel were on board.Video above: Map tracks path of ship before crashIn a statement published by CNBC, Maersk said: “We are horrified by what has happened in Baltimore, and our thoughts are with all of those affected. We can confirm that the container vessel ‘DALI,’ operated by charter vessel company Synergy Group, is time chartered by Maersk and is carrying Maersk customers’ cargo. No Maersk crew and personnel were onboard the vessel. We are closely following the investigations conducted by authorities and Synergy, and we will do our utmost to keep our customers informed.”What happened during the crash?The ship crashed into one of the bridge’s supports, causing the structure to snap and buckle at several points and tumble into the water in a matter of seconds. The vessel caught fire, and thick, black smoke billowed out of it.What do we know about the bridge?According to Federal Highway Administration records, the last inspection of the Key Bridge took place in May 2021 and the structure was found to be in fair condition. The FHA records show the steel truss bridge’s deck condition was satisfactory, its superstructure condition was satisfactory and its substructure condition was satisfactory. No repair work was identified in the report.The 1.6-mile bridge carried the Baltimore Beltway/Interstate 695 over the Patapsco River, which leads to the Port of Baltimore, a major hub for shipping on the East Coast. Opened in 1977, the bridge is named for the writer of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”Video below: 2 rescued so far, no indication crash was intentional
A container ship lost power and rammed into a major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, causing it to snap and plunge into the river below. Several vehicles fell into the chilly waters, and rescuers searched for survivors.
The operators of the ship issued a mayday call moments before the crash that took down the Francis Scott Key Bridge, enabling authorities to limit vehicle traffic on the span, Maryland’s governor said.
Where was the ship going?
The container ship that crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday was headed to Sri Lanka.
Synergy Marine Group – which owns and manages the ship, called the Dali – confirmed the vessel hit a pillar of the bridge at about 1:30 a.m. while in control of one or more pilots, who are local specialists who help navigate vessels safely into ports.
Video above: Maryland transportation secretary responds to Key Bridge collapse
It said all crew members, including the two pilots on board, were accounted for and there were no reports of any injuries.
Do we know what caused the crash?
It was not clear what caused the cargo ship to crash into the bridge long before the busy morning commute in what one official called a “developing mass casualty event.” Baltimore City Fire Chief James Wallace said dive crews “may be looking for upwards of seven people” but said that number could change.
Authorities said a crew of unknown size was working on the bridge at the time of the collapse and that sonar had detected cars in the water, which is about 50 feet deep.
What else do we know about the ship?
The Dali was headed from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka, and flying under a Singapore flag, according to data from Marine Traffic. The container ship is about 985 feet long and about 157 feet wide, according to the website.
Danish shipping giant Maersk said it had chartered the vessel, which was carrying its customers’ cargo. No Maersk crew and personnel were on board.
Video above: Map tracks path of ship before crash
In a statement published by CNBC, Maersk said: “We are horrified by what has happened in Baltimore, and our thoughts are with all of those affected. We can confirm that the container vessel ‘DALI,’ operated by charter vessel company Synergy Group, is time chartered by Maersk and is carrying Maersk customers’ cargo. No Maersk crew and personnel were onboard the vessel. We are closely following the investigations conducted by authorities and Synergy, and we will do our utmost to keep our customers informed.”
What happened during the crash?
The ship crashed into one of the bridge’s supports, causing the structure to snap and buckle at several points and tumble into the water in a matter of seconds. The vessel caught fire, and thick, black smoke billowed out of it.
What do we know about the bridge?
According to Federal Highway Administration records, the last inspection of the Key Bridge took place in May 2021 and the structure was found to be in fair condition. The FHA records show the steel truss bridge’s deck condition was satisfactory, its superstructure condition was satisfactory and its substructure condition was satisfactory. No repair work was identified in the report.
The 1.6-mile bridge carried the Baltimore Beltway/Interstate 695 over the Patapsco River, which leads to the Port of Baltimore, a major hub for shipping on the East Coast. Opened in 1977, the bridge is named for the writer of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Video below: 2 rescued so far, no indication crash was intentional
