The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore MD, a vital structure facilitating cargo and cruise ship access, suffered a collapse in the early hours of Tuesday following a collision with a container ship. The incident, deemed a mass-casualty event, resulted in vehicles plunging into the water below.
The collision transpired when the Singapore-flagged boxship Dali (2015-built, IMO 9697428) bound for Colombo Sri Lanka. The large vessel (owned by Grace Ocean Pte Ltd) struck the central section of the bridge while departing Baltimore shortly after 1:00 a.m.
Chartered by the shipping corporation Maersk and fully loaded with TEU containers, the ship's impact caused a significant portion of the bridge to collapse into the Patapsco River. This catastrophic occurrence was captured in footage revealing the immediate disintegration of the bridge's steel arches and the loss of several vehicles.
Following the declaration of a mass-casualty event, extensive rescue operations were initiated. At least 7 vehicles were presumed to have fallen from the 1.6-mile-long span of the bridge. The Baltimore City Fire Department promptly launched a search and recovery effort, resulting in the retrieval of two individuals from the water, one in critical condition and the other requiring no medical intervention.
The Baltimore City Fire Department characterized the situation as a "developing mass casualty event" and deployed dive and rescue teams to locate and extract individuals who may have fallen into the river, reported to be contaminated with MDO/marine diesel oil.
The container carrier, purportedly experiencing a mechanical malfunction leading to the collision, remained lodged against the remaining bridge structure. Authorities managed to halt vehicular traffic briefly before the collision occurred ~1:28 a.m., a time when workers were present on the bridge.
The ramifications of the incident extend beyond the immediate disaster zone, potentially disrupting maritime traffic to Baltimore's port for an indefinite period, including cargo and cruise ship operations.
Of note, two Baltimore-homeported cruise ships - Vision of the Seas (RCI) and Carnival Legend (CCL) were underway on their respective voyages in the Atlantic at the time of the incident. Vision OTS was on a 12-day Southern Caribbean cruise scheduled to return to Baltimore on April 4th, while Carnival Legend was engaged in a 7-day Bahamas itinerary slated to arrive in Baltimore on March 31st.
This tragic event is expected to significantly impact maritime traffic to the port for the foreseeable future.