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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.
Prayers and condolences to all involved https://t.co/X0dD3Adk3O
— Riverrat328 (@riverrat328) March 26, 2024
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.
Close up clip of boat hitting structure of Francis Scott Baltimore Bridge.
It’s almost as if the boat was steered to hit the bridge gantry head on? pic.twitter.com/ir2yON7SM6
— Concerned Citizen (@BGatesIsaPyscho) March 26, 2024
The Dali is chartered by Maersk and operated by Synergy Group on the 2M service between Asia and the US East Coast. Maersk said it was closely following the investigations conducted by authorities and Synergy and that none of its crew or personnel were onboard at the time of the incident.
Many 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.
Lars Jensen, chief executive at Danish consultancy Vespucci Maritime, described the incident as a major disaster that would create significant problems on the US East Coast for US importers and exporters.
“The bridge collapse will mean that for the time being it will not be possible to get to the container terminals – or a range of the other port terminals – in Baltimore. In 2023 the terminals handled 1.1 million teu. This is some 21,000 teu per week which now has to be routed through other ports in the region. Additionally, this means the cargo already gated into the Baltimore terminals would have to either wait an unknown period for the sealane to reopen, or be gated back out and shifted to a different port,” Jensen wrote on LinkedIn.
The post Mass casualties feared as boxship takes out bridge in Baltimore – other coal and exports blocked first appeared on Energy News Beat.
The post Mass casualties feared as boxship takes out bridge in Baltimore – other coal and exports blocked appeared first on Energy News Beat.
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