Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before it collided with Baltimore bridge, officials say

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before it collided with Baltimore bridge, officials say
The Associated Press

March 28, 2024, 1:47 AM

BALTIMORE (AP) — The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent “routine engine maintenance” in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday, as divers recovered the bodies of two of six workers who plunged into the water when it collapsed. The others were presumed dead, and officials said search efforts had been exhausted. {snip} Marcel Muise, NTSB investigator in charge, laid out a preliminary timeline assembled from the voyage data recorder comprising audio from the bridge and VHF radio ahead of the crash, which federal and state officials have said appeared to be an accident.

The vessel, the Dali, left port at 12:39 a.m. Tuesday and, after it entered the channel, signs of trouble came at about 1:25 a.m. when numerous alarms sounded, according to the NTSB. About a minute later, steering commands and rudder orders were issued, and at 1:26 a.m. and 39 seconds, a pilot made a general radio call for nearby tug boats. ... Maryland Transportation Authority data from about the same time shows the pilot association dispatcher called the transportation authority’s officer on duty about the blackout, the NTSB said.

Just after 1:27 a.m., the pilot commanded the ship to drop an anchor on the left side of the ship and issued added steering commands. About 20 seconds later, the pilot issued a radio call reporting that the Dali had lost all power approaching the bridge. ... At about that time, the state transportation officer on duty radioed two of its units already stationed at each end of the bridge saying to close the bridge to vehicle traffic. They were already there because of the construction.

Around 1:29 a.m., when the ship was traveling at about 8 mph (13 kph), recordings for about 30 seconds picked up sounds consistent with it colliding with the bridge, the NTSB said. A Transportation Authority dash camera also shows lights on the bridge going out. ... At 1:29 a.m. and 39 seconds, the pilot reported to the Coast Guard that the bridge was down.

{snip}

[ck4829]

1. If you're operating something that takes 2 miles to stop, you might want to do something about the 'check engine' light

Might have needed more than routine maintenance.

[EarlG]

2. The report explains why they couldn't get the maintenance crew off the bridge

If only four minutes passed in between the initial warning signals and the collision -- tbh it's pretty amazing that they were able to contact the patrol units and tell them to close the bridge.

You can see the ship lights go out at about the 1 minute and 22 seconds mark in this video, and then the ship strikes the bridge at roughly five minutes and thirty seconds, so just about four minutes passed between the warning and the bridge strike, which matches the description in the article.

There is plenty of traffic crossing the bridge during those four minutes -- it looks like the last vehicle finishes crossing the span right before the five minute mark, just thirty seconds before the bridge collapses.

If the cops only got the message to close the bridge in both directions a minute before the collision, and they had no way to directly communicate with the maintenance crew, I can see why they didn't have time to get them off. Quick action probably did save a lot of lives here, considering what could have happened if they hadn't closed the bridge in time.