Key Bridge in Baltimore collapses after large boat collision

[RainCaster]

29. That pilot will be held accountable - edit

Last edited Tue Mar 26, 2024, 12:17 PM - Edit history (1)

His life is over, as it should be. The first time that vessel lost power, the pilot should have called the engine room to reverse -stop the engines and dropped the anchors. If it was having such issues before leaving the dock, that's even worse.

A later report from a reliable trade journal gives a more fair assessment of the accident.

Cameras from the Vessel Traffic Service captured footage of the collision and subsequent collapse. The ship’s lights went out twice before the collision, indicating possible issues in the engine room. Despite the quick restoration of lighting, this suggests a full blackout occurred, prompting the emergency generator to restore basic electrical services and lighting.

Without propulsion or tugboats, a ship this size is nearly impossible to stop.

The emergency generator does not connect to propulsion but should support steering and navigation systems but the ships heading appears to have been pushed off course by the wind directly into the support column.

Ships are not required to have tugboat escorts when passing under the Francis Scott Key Bridge so they have limited ability to slow down on their own when they lose power and can not put the propeller into reverse.

This will take a while to sort out. This ship was built in 2015, so it's very new. But it was involved in one other collision in Antwerp Belgium in it's first year of service (2016).