The Baltimore Bridge Collapse: What We Learned About Bridges, Ships, and Ports.
A bridge in the Baltimore city in US collapsed after a ship hit with one of its support columns. The state’s governor has declared a state of emergency after the incident and rescuers are searching the water for survivors.
Six people are still missing . The president said rescue efforts remain a “top priority” and added there was no proof the collapse of the bridge was intentional.
Baltimore’s 1.6-mile (2.57km) Francis Scott Key Bridge was built out of steel and opened in 1977. With four lanes, The bridge has four lanes and is part of Interstate 695.The bridge served as a major thoroughfare along the ring road encircling the city in the US state of Maryland.
The bridge was named after the Star-Spangled Banner who is author of the American national anthem. The governor of Maryland said the bridge had been “fully up to date” before Tuesday’s collision which means it met safety standards.
Many vehicles fell into the water, and officials said eight construction workers helping with a project fell off. They also said that sonar had detected cars in the water, which is about 15 metres deep.
The National Transportation Safety Board is sending a team to investigate the terrible collision .
Moore reported that the ship experienced a power loss around the moment of impact with the bridge, prompting the crew to send out a distress signal. Subsequently, the ship became engulfed in flames as a section of the bridge collapsed onto it, resulting in billows of dense, black smoke ascending into the sky.
The shipping company Maersk stated that it had chartered the container ship from Baltimore, with Synergy Marine Group listed as the operator. Maersk verified that the crew comprised 22 individuals, all of whom were Indian nationals. None of them belonged to Maersk’s crew or staff.
Reuters reported that the ship’s manager, Synergy Marine Group, confirmed that all crew members, including the two pilots, had been located safely, with no reports of injuries on board.
Additionally, Maersk revealed that there were 4,679 containers on board the ship, almost half of the total capacity of 10,000 containers. According to Vessel Finder and maritime incident archive Shipwrecklog, the same ship was involved in a collision in 2016 off Antwerp, Belgium. During this incident, the stern of the ship collided with the pier, resulting in significant damage to several meters of the hull. , Fortunately, no injuries or environmental pollution were reported, and weather conditions at the time were reportedly favorable. The incident was attributed to errors by the ship’s owner and the onboard pilot.
The port is one of the busiest ports in the country, serving as an important junction for shipping on the US East Coast, especially for the transportation of road vehicles. Additionally, it manages the logistics of agricultural products, construction machinery and coal, as stated on the Maryland government website.