Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after a container ship lost power and rammed into the bridge early Tuesday, sending vehicles plunging into the water.
All 6 workers missing after bridge collapse presumed dead, authorities say
Authorities say all six workers missing after a Baltimore bridge collapsed Tuesday are presumed dead and the search for them has been suspended until Wednesday morning.
Col. Roland L. Butler Jr., superintendent for Maryland State Police, said Tuesday evening that the search and rescue mission was transitioning to one of search and recovery. He says divers would return to the site at 6 a.m. Wednesday when challenging overnight conditions were expected to improve.
WATCH: Feed of Baltimore bridge collapsing
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
A cargo ship lost power and rammed into a major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, destroying the span in a matter of seconds and plunging it into the river in a terrifying collapse. Six people were missing and presumed dead. (AP production by Javier Arciga)
Trade association director says ship’s pilot tried to slow down
The head of a trade association for maritime pilots says the pilot of the ship that caused the Baltimore bridge collapse tried to slow it down before the crash.
Clay Diamond, executive director of the American Pilots’ Association, said he has been in close contact with officials from the Association of Maryland Pilots who described to him what happened as the ship approached the bridge. He said when the ship was a few minutes out, it lost all power, including to its engines.
The pilot immediately ordered the rudder hard to port to keep the ship from turning right and ordered the port anchor be dropped, which it was, Diamond said. The pilot also contacted a dispatch office to get the bridge shut down.
Diamond said widely circulated images show the ship’s lights turning off and then back on, sparking questions about whether the vessel had regained power. But, he said, the emergency generators that kicked in turned the lights back on but not the ship’s propulsion.
Every foreign-flagged ship coming into U.S. waters must have a state-licensed pilot on board. Pilots board the ships before they enter the local waterways and take “navigational control” of the ship, he said, meaning they give orders for the ship’s speed and direction.
“These are among the most highly trained mariners in the world,” Diamond said.
Bridge collapse and port closure send companies scrambling to reroute cargo
The stunning collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge is diverting shipping and trucking around one of the busiest ports on America’s East Coast, creating delays and raising costs in the latest disruption to global supply chains.
After the container ship Dali hit the bridge and brought it down early Tuesday, ship traffic entering and leaving the Port of Baltimore was suspended indefinitely. That will require rerouting vessels or their cargo to other ports, potentially causing congestion and delays for importers, said Judah Levine, head of research for the global freight booking platform Freightos.
“Aside from the obvious tragedy, this incident will have significant and long-lasting impacts on the region,” American Trucking Associations spokesperson Jessica Gail said, calling Key Bridge and Baltimore’s port “critical components’’ of the nation’s infrastructure.
Gail noted that 1.3 million trucks cross the bridge every year — 3,600 a day. Trucks that carry hazardous materials will now have to make 30 miles of detours around Baltimore because they are prohibited from using the city’s tunnels, she said, adding to delays and increasing fuel costs.
Buttigieg thanks first responders and pays tribute to collapsed bridge
By HOLLY RAMER
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says the path to rebuilding the collapsed Baltimore bridge won’t be easy or quick.
“This is no ordinary bridge. This is one of the cathedrals of American infrastructure,” he said at a news conference in Baltimore on Tuesday afternoon. “It has been part of the skyline for this region for longer than many of us have been alive.”
Buttigieg thanked first responders, including those still in the water as he spoke, and offered comfort to those “who woke up today to the news that no one wants to receive.”
“This is an excruciating day for several families,” he said.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said he’s spent time with the families of victims. “The strength of these families is absolutely remarkable,” he said.
One person involved in the Baltimore bridge collapse released from the hospital
By ADRIAN SAINZ
One person involved in the Baltimore bridge collapse has been discharged from the hospital, an official with the medical center said.
Dr. David Efron, the chief of trauma at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland Medical Center, did not comment on the nature or severity of the patient’s injuries. The hospital has not released the patient’s name.
Correction: This post has been updated to correct that just one patient was treated at R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in connection with the bridge collapse, not two.
Colleague says missing construction workers were on a break when bridge collapsed
A fellow construction company employee says he was told his missing co-workers were on a break and some were sitting in their trucks when a Baltimore bridge collapsed early Tuesday after being struck by a container ship.
Brawner Builders employee Jesus Campos says he learned about the disaster from a co-worker and immediately worried about colleagues he knew were working on the bridge.
“When he told me that, they came to mind and I was praying to God that nothing had happened to them,” Campos said, speaking in Spanish.
“It is so hard for me to describe. I know that a month ago I was there, and I know what it feels like when the trailers pass. Imagine knowing that it is falling. It is so hard, one would not know what to do,” Campos said.
Six construction workers are presumed to be dead by their employer
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
A senior executive the company that employed the construction workers said six of the company’s workers are presumed to be dead and one worker was hospitalized.
Jeffrey Pritzker, executive vice president of Brawner Builders, said the crew was working in the middle of the bridge’s span when the crash happened and crumbled the bridge.
The bodies of the workers have not yet been recovered, but they are presumed to have died given the water’s depth and the amount of time that has passed since the crash, he said.
“This was so completely unforeseen,” he said. “We don’t know what else to say.”
“We take such great pride in safety, and we have cones and signs and lights and barriers and flaggers,” he added. “But we never foresaw that the bridge would collapse.”
Officers were about to alert the construction crew when bridge collapsed
By CLAUDIA LAUER
Radio traffic obtained from the Broadcastify.com archive indicates officers were just about to alert a construction crew when a major bridge in Baltimore collapsed after being hit by a container ship that had lost power.
The Maryland Transportation Authority first responder radio traffic includes a dispatcher putting out a call saying a ship had lost its steering ability and asking officers to stop all traffic. It took officers less than two minutes to stop traffic on the bridge.
One officer who had stopped traffic radioed that he was going to drive onto the bridge to notify the construction crew once a second officer arrived. But seconds later, a frantic officer radioed that the bridge had collapsed.
The six people still unaccounted for were part of the construction crew, which was filling potholes on the bridge.
Supply chain manager says Americans should expect shortages
The head of a supply chain management company says Americans should expect shortages of goods as the Baltimore bridge collapse affects ocean container shipping and East Coast trucking logistics.
“It’s not just the port of Baltimore that’s going to be impacted,” said Ryan Petersen, CEO of Flexport.
Petersen says attacks on cargo ships in the Red Sea connecting Asia with Europe and the United States have forced traffic away from the Suez Canal and around the tip of Africa. At the same time, there’s been increased congestion in the Panama Canal. Petersen says U.S. importers are increasingly shifting to West Coast ports which in turn may have their own back-ups.
“You get this vicious feedback loop,” he said.
Petersen was working with his team Tuesday to reroute about 800 shipping containers currently making their way to Baltimore’s port.
“It’s a scramble because each of those containers has now a new journey to clear customs, you’ve got to get a different truck to pick it up at a different port, it creates a whole lot of downstream work,” he said.
June inspection identified problem with ship’s machinery but September examination found no deficiencies
By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN
Inspectors in June found a problem with the machinery of the same ship that caused the Baltimore bridge collapse early Tuesday.
But according to the shipping information system Equasis, a more recent examination of the ship, called the Dali, didn’t identify any deficiencies.
The Dali, owned by Grace Ocean PTE, has been inspected at least 27 times at ports around the world since it was built in 2015. An inspection at a port in Chile in June identified a problem with the ship’s “propulsion and auxiliary machinery,” according to Equasis, but the website’s online records didn’t elaborate.
The most recent inspection listed for the Dali was conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard in New York on Sept. 13, 2023. According to the Equasis data, the “standard examination” didn’t identify any deficiencies.
A July 2016 inspection in Belgium determined hull damage had impaired the Dali’s seaworthiness after it struck berth used for mooring vessels at the Port of Antwerp.
Biden says he will head to Baltimore soon
President Joe Biden said Tuesday he plans to travel to Baltimore “as quickly as I can” and that he plans for the federal government to pick up the entire cost of reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed earlier in the day after a container ship lost power and struck it.
“We’re going to rebuild that port together,” Biden said in brief remarks from the White House, shortly before departing for North Carolina.
The president said he expects lawmakers on Capitol Hill to support his bid to ensure the U.S. government pays for rebuilding the bridge.
“This is going to take some time,” Biden said. “The people of Baltimore can count on us, though, to stick with them at every step of the way until the port is reopened and the bridge is rebuilt.”
Biden’s expected challenger in the presidential race this year, Republican Donald Trump, as of midday Tuesday has not commented publicly on the bridge collapse.
Nearly 12 hours after the bridge collapse, here’s where things stand
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Authorities are piecing together what led to the bridge collapse in Baltimore. But so far, we know that Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said a large cargo ship lost power and issued a mayday call moments before it struck the bridge early Tuesday, though it was still moving toward the span at a rapid speed.
The Francis Scott Key Bridge broke apart and tumbled into the Patapsco River. Two people were rescued. But officials say they haven’t been able to account for six others.
Baltimore Orioles cancel evening rally
By HOLLY RAMER
The Baltimore Orioles have canceled a workout and rally for fans that had been planned for Tuesday night.
The event at Oriole Park at Camden Yards was part of the leadup to Thursday’s Opening Day, when the team will host the Los Angeles Angels. Instead, the team said, the event was canceled in light of the bridge collapse.
“Baltimore, we’re a tight-knit and resilient community,” the team posted on X. “Together we will get through this.”
Who was Francis Scott Key, whose namesake bridge fell?
A major bridge that collapsed in Baltimore after getting hit by a ship is named for Francis Scott Key, who turned a wartime experience in the early 19th century into the poem that became the national anthem of the United States.
During the War of 1812 between the United States and the British, Key was on a ship to negotiate an American prisoner’s release and witnessed a 25-hour British bombardment of Fort McHenry. He saw that the American flag stayed up through the hours of darkness and was still at the top of the fort when the morning came. He turned it into a poem.
Expert says bridge didn’t appear to have pier protection
By HOLLY RAMER
The bridge did not appear to have pier protection to withstand the cargo ship crash, according to a professor of civil and environmental engineering.
Professor Roberto Leon, of Virginia Tech, said he reviewed the video of the crash Tuesday.
“If a bridge pier without adequate protection is hit by a ship of this size, there is very little that the bridge could do,” Leon said.
Maryland recently retrofitted another bridge with pier protection devices for about $100 million, he said.
It’s expensive, but the price would pale in comparison with expected losses from the damaged bridge, including additional miles driven, fuel and business costs, he said.
VIDEO: See the moment the bridge collapsed
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after a container ship lost power and rammed into the bridge early Tuesday, sending vehicles plunging into the water.
Former fire chief says bridge collapse ‘felt like an earthquake’
By HOLLY RAMER
Donald Heinbuch, a retired fire chief for Baltimore, said he was startled awake by a deep rumbling that shook his house for several seconds.
“It felt like an earthquake,” he said. “Or like rolling thunder.”
Heinbuch turned on his police scanner and discovered the noise had come from the nearby bridge, a favored fishing spot that he’d driven over countless times. He said he rushed to the scene in shock.
“The ship was there, and the bridge was in the water, like it was blown up,” he said.
Heinbuch said he watched divers slip into their gear and coordinate a rescue plan as pontoon boats made their way to shore. Several departments also offered help, he said.
“All these little things that we practiced all the time had to be put in place,” Heinbuch said. “Everyone acted fast … even as the significance of what had happened was still sinking in.”
Feds rated the bridge as in fair condition
By Holly Ramer
The most recent federal data shows the bridge was rated as being in fair condition overall before the crash.
The Federal Highway Administration rates bridges on the condition of their individual components. In a national bridge inventory released in June, inspectors rated the Key Bridge’s deck, substructure and superstructure — or the component that absorbs the live traffic load — as satisfactory.
The bridge carried an estimated 30,800 vehicles a day on average in 2019. According to the Maryland Transportation Authority, that translates to about 11.3 million vehicles a year across the bridge, which was built in the 1970s and was 1.6 miles (2.6 kilometers) long.
WATCH LIVE: Biden addresses Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The president is expected to speak at 12 p.m. EDT. Follow his remarks live:
Ship’s operator, owner have lawsuits in their past
Synergy Marine, which operated the ship that hit the bridge, and the ship’s owner, Grace Ocean Private Ltd, have been sued at least four times in U.S. federal court on allegations of negligence and other claims tied to worker injuries on other ships owned and operated by the Singapore-based companies.
One lawsuit, in 2019, involved a man from Oregon who broke several bones when a rope ladder he was using to board a refrigerated cargo vessel snapped, sending him 25 feet to the ground.
Also that year, a Texas worker was injured when a hatch on the same ship, the M/V Star Leader, was prematurely opened without warning by a ship’s crew member.
In 2021, a longshoreman in Savannah, Georgia, sued Synergy when he tumbled 5 feet on a gangway whose handrail collapsed, injuring his back and shoulder.
All three lawsuits were settled out of court.
A fourth case, involving a worker at the port of Houston who was pinned underneath a stack of metal pipes he was trying to remove, was dismissed.
Maryland’s top prosecutor says there’s no signs of terrorism in bridge collapse
By HOLLY RAMER
The top federal prosecutor in Maryland says there is no evidence linking the bridge collapse to terrorism.
U.S. Attorney Erek Barron said his office will continue to coordinate with federal, state and local officials to provide support.
President Biden offers federal resources for Baltimore’s search-and-rescue efforts
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The White House says Biden met with senior officials about the bridge collapse Tuesday morning and will continue to receive updates. Members of his administration are staying in close contact with state and local officials.
6 construction workers are missing after bridge collapse
By Associated Press
Six people remain unaccounted for after the bridge collapse, and all are believed to have been working on it at the time, officials said.
The construction workers were repairing potholes, Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said at a news conference Tuesday.
Gov. Wes Moore said he was thankful that after the cargo ship’s distress call, authorities were able to stop cars from going over the bridge.
“These people are heroes,” Moore said. “They saved lives last night.”
Governor: Ship reported losing power just before crash
By Associated Press
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore says the cargo ship reported losing power just before it crashed and caused the bridge to collapse.
Moore said Tuesday that a mayday call from the ship allowed officials to limit traffic on the bridge before the crash.
A preliminary investigation suggests that the crash was an accident, and that there’s no credible evidence of a terrorist attack, Moore, a Democrat, said at a news conference near the collapsed bridge.
“This morning, our state is in shock,” he said.
“We are Maryland tough and we are Baltimore strong,” Moore said. “So in the face of heartbreak, we come together.”
Inspection of ship in 2023 found no deficiencies
By Associated Press
The Singapore-flagged Dali was built in 2015 and has been managed almost from its launch by Synergy Marine, which is also based in Singapore and manages a fleet of a more than 600 container ships, cargo vessels, oil tankers and other vessels.
The shipping industry is plagued by safety concerns and often shoddy oversight. But the Dali was last inspected in September 2023 in New York, and no deficiencies were reported at the time.
Baltimore mayor declares a state of emergency
By Associated Press
The mayor of Baltimore has declared a state of emergency in response to the bridge collapse.
Mayor Brandon Scott, a Democrat, issued an executive order Tuesday morning to deploy and expand emergency resources. The state of emergency will remain in place for 30 days and is subject to renewal or cancellation as conditions warrant.
The National Transportation Safety Board said it is launching a team to investigate the bridge collapse and will hold a media briefing later Tuesday.
Bridge played a vital role in transportation and commerce
By Associated Press
Maryland state Sen. Johnny Ray Salling, who is from the area, says the bridge plays a vital role in not only transportation, but also commerce.
“Losing this bridge will devastate the entire area, as well as the entire East Coast,” said Salling, a Republican.
Highway signs as far south as Virginia are warning drivers of delays associated with the closure of the bridge.
The ship was under control of local navigation specialists while traveling near the bridge
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.
It said all crew members, including the two pilots on board, were accounted for and there were no reports of any injuries.
As the sun rose Tuesday, jagged remnants of the bridge were illuminated jutting up from the waters surface. The on-ramp ended abruptly where the span once began.
Maersk shares drop 2%
By LEA SKENE
Danish shipping giant Maersk said it had chartered the vessel, which was carrying its customers’ cargo. No Maersk crew and personnel were on board.
The collapse caused Maersk share at the Nasdaq Copenhagen to plummet 2% in early Tuesday trading.
Major bridge collapses due to ship collisions have killed 342 people worldwide since 1960
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
From 1960 to 2015, there have been 35 major bridge collapses worldwide due to ship or barge collision, with a total of 342 people killed, according to a 2018 report from the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure.
Eighteen of those collapses happened in the United States. Here’s a few notable ones:
BIG BAYOU CANOT: 47 DEAD
Sept. 22, 1993: Barges being pushed by a towboat in dense fog hit and displaced the Big Bayou Canot railroad bridge near Mobile, Alabama. Minutes later, an Amtrak train with 220 people aboard reached the displaced bridge and derailed, killing 47 people and injuring 103 people.
SUNSHINE SKYWAY BRIDGE: 35 DEAD
May 9, 1980: The 609-foot freighter Summit Venture was navigating through the narrow, winding shipping channel of Florida’s Tampa Bay when a sudden, blinding squall knocked out the ship’s radar. The ship sheared off a support of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, dropping a 1,400-foot section of concrete roadway during the morning rush hour. Seven vehicles, including a bus with 26 aboard, fell 150 feet into the water. Thirty-five people died.
EADS BRIDGE: 50 INJURED
April 14, 1998: The Anne Holly tow traveling through the St. Louis Harbor rammed into the center span of the Eads Bridge. Eight barges broke away. Three of them hit a permanently moored gambling vessel below the bridge. Fifty people suffered minor injuries.
▶ Read more: A list of major bridge collapses caused by ship or barge collisions
New York governor offers to assist Baltimore in ‘any way’
By KAREN MATTHEWS
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she reached out to Moore and offered any assistance New York can provide. Hochul said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that New York’s harbor “stands ready to assist, any way we can continue the flow of commerce so it’s not disrupted.”
President Biden has been briefed on the bridge collapse
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The President has been briefed on the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore and the ongoing search and rescue efforts. He will continue to receive updates from his team throughout the day.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is also on site at the bridge, per the governor’s spokesman.
Crew on the bridge was doing ‘concrete deck repair,’ says Maryland transportation secretary
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said the FBI was on scene, but terrorism is not suspected. “It’s an open investigation but there’s nothing that points to that in any direction,” he said.
Wiedefeld said there was a crew working on the bridge doing “concrete deck repair” at the time of the collapse. He said officials are investigating how many workers were there.
In the meantime, vessel traffic into and out of the Port of Baltimore is suspended until further notice, but the port is still open for trucks, he said.
IN PHOTOS: Scenes from the bridge’s collapse
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
This isn’t the first time Baltimore has seen a major transportation emergency
By LEA SKENE
In 2001, a freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed in a tunnel in downtown Baltimore and caught fire, spewing black smoke into surrounding neighborhoods and forcing officials to temporarily close all major roads into the city.
The ship was headed from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka
By LEA SKENE
Synergy Marine Group — which 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. The ship is owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd.
It said all crew members, including the pilots, were accounted for and there are no reports of any injuries.
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 (300 meters) long and about 157 feet (48 meters) wide, according to the website.
Correction: This post has been corrected to show that Grace Ocean Private owns the ship, not Synergy Marine Group.
WATCH: Aerial view of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Aerial view of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge
Sonar indicates there are vehicles in the water
By LEA SKENE
The temperature was about 47 degrees Fahrenheit (8 degrees Celsius) in the early hours of Tuesday, according to a buoy that collects data for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Earlier, Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department, told The Associated Press that several vehicles were on the bridge at the time, including one the size of a tractor-trailer truck.
He called the collapse a “developing mass casualty event,” though he didn’t know at the time how many people were affected.
2 people pulled from water after Baltimore’s Key Bridge collapses, 1 in serious condition
By LEA SKENE
Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace says two people were pulled from the water after the bridge collapse.
He said one was in serious condition and the other was not seriously injured.
Wallace said authorities “may be looking for upwards of seven people” but he said that number could change.
All lanes closed in both directions on I-695 Key Bridge
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Mayor Brandon M. Scott and Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. posted that emergency personnel were responding and rescue efforts were underway.
Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key bridge by the numbers
“All lanes closed both directions for incident on I-695 Key Bridge. Traffic is being detoured,” the Maryland Transportation Authority posted on X.
Emergency responders were searching for at least 7 people, Cartwright said
By LEA SKENE
But Cartwright also said it’s too early to know how many people were affected. He called the collapse a “developing mass casualty event.”
He added that some cargo appeared to be dangling from the bridge, which spans the Patapsco River, a vital artery that along with the Port of Baltimore is a hub for shipping on the East Coast.
The ship is called Dali, according to the Fire Department
By LEA SKENE
A vessel by that name was headed from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka, as its final destination, according to Marine Traffic and Vessel Finder.
The ship was flying under a Singapore flag, WTOP radio station reported, citing Petty Officer Matthew West from the Coast Guard in Baltimore.
