BRKG Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore has collapsed

[CaryC]

Having been driving a ship that went dark ship unintentionally while underway the most likely scenario to me is:

Generator failure

Emergency generator automatically kicks in

Emergency generator fails

Bang

Most likely causes in my experience

A> Contaminated fuel
B> Improper fuel valve alignment in engine room
C> Something automated shutting fuel valves

There are very few more helpless feelings than loosing power and propulsion while underway. Fortunately when it happened to me we were in the middle of the Gulf with no platforms around to hit. If we would have been in close proximity to anything we probably would have hit it. There's really nothing you can do without steerage other than drop an anchor, which they did.

I would bet my paycheck it's legit accident. IF it was sabotage I'd look at the fuel. Wonder if they bunkered (took on fuel) in Baltimore. There would be potential for sabotaging the fuel at that point. Other than that I'd chalk it up to the capricious nature of the sea.

YMMV

Imagine how the Bismarck felt. Referencing because of the lack of steerage.

Anyway very bad deal. With the info we got I suspect you are right.

Question: If the ship took on fuel, and it was bad,......doesn't that mean it came from some kind of tank or holding blab, blab, and therefore it is possible that other ships might experience the same problem?

Kind of like cars getting the same gas from a pump with water in it, they all have problems.

I don't know, I'm just spit balling as Benji Dunn would say.

 

[Tex88]

It was reported somewhere up thread that they dropped the port anchor. Which should have slowed them and swung them to port (back toward the elevated span). With a flood tide if they had been moving slower it may have worked, in theory anyway.

E=mc^2 applies always. As do Newton’s laws. Ship might have been moving slowly but that was a lot of mass.

 

[Red Baron]

Gravity - It's A Law!

 

[bracketquant]

Ship happens

 

[psychgirl]

There is going to be a slew of unexpected fallout from this.

Fair Use Cited
-----------------
After Francis Scott Key Bridge collapses into river, Baltimore residents "can't believe it's gone"

By Rohan Mattu
Updated on: March 26, 2024 / 7:33 AM EDT / CBS Baltimore

BALTIMORE -- Witnesses could not believe their eyes early Tuesday morning, looking at where the Francis Scott Key Memorial Bridge once spanned the Patapsco River. The span collapsed in the water below overnight. Rescue efforts are underway after several vehicles fell into the frigid water.

A large container ship was believed to have struck a column of the bridge around 1:30 a.m., fire department spokesman Kevin Cartwright said. There are at least seven people but up to 20 people in the water and a mass casualty response is underway.

'Can't believe it's gone'

A witness told WJZ's Mike Hellgren the sound accompanying the collapse was massive, shaking his home.

"Earthquake - sounded like a big bash of thunder," the resident said. "And then just like I said it felt like an earthquake, the whole house vibrated. Like my house was falling down."

The resident said he never thought in his "wildest dreams" he would see something like this happen.

"I've been in this neighborhood 57 years, I remembered when they built this bridge," he said. "Can't believe it's gone."

Another resident speculated about the possible implications of the crash.

"This is going to be catastrophic for many reasons," he said. "Number one, the harbor's blocked. Number two, we're not going to get any more new car deliveries at this time. Amazon is just on the other side of the river and you can forget your same-day, next-day delivery packages. The beltway is going to be a parking lot. The tunnels are going to be over-jammed."

"I was there yesterday," another resident told WJZ, a thought surely shared by many Tuesday morning. "To see the bridge gone knowing I was on that bridge not even 10 hours ago - it's devastating."

Francis Scott Key Bridge

The Francis Scott Key Bridge bridge spans the Patapsco River and is a link of I-695. Officials say commuters should take I-95 or I-895 on Tuesday morning.

Officials said the Anne Arundel County Fire Department, the Baltimore County Fire Department , the Maryland Department of the Environment and the Maryland Transit Authority are among the agencies responding to the incident.

The 1.6-mile-long bridge, named for the author of the Star Spangled Banner, opened in 1977 and is one of three toll crossings of Baltimore's Harbor, according to the MDTA.

After Francis Scott Key Bridge collapses into river, Baltimore residents "can't believe it's gone"

Witnesses could not believe their eyes early Tuesday morning, looking at where the Francis Scott Key Memorial Bridge once spanned the Patapsco River.

www.cbsnews.com

This is what I was referring to ^^^^
Nothing coming in through there!

 

[greysage]

The vids are beginning to emerge. Best grab em and link em while they are accessible.

The first two hours of an event are critical at capturing screenshots so info does not get scrubbed. That may have been one of several pilots on board as they run shifts but his info as a Ukranian national is preserved in the event it becomes inportant down the road. It might

Here is an example of a screen capture to be saved for later.

Recall when the Enbridge Line 5 was sabotaged over in Michigan. We had Romeo in skinny black jeans that wiggled under the fenced off pipeline hub. But he had a sidekick that day of a tall player, prolly in a douchebag wig with a green guitar. Playing a soundtrack.

View attachment 467176

View attachment 467177

The screenshots of saboteur$ for hire will continue till morale improves. Because nobuddy wants to ride on a ship of fools with them into bedlam.

https://www.tiktok.com/video/7350574709743930667 View: https://www.tiktok.com/@toby_jg02/video/7350574709743930667

That Toby tik-tok account sure was zoomed in at the right place and right time.

 

[Capt. Eddie]

Question: If the ship took on fuel, and it was bad,......doesn't that mean it came from some kind of tank or holding blab, blab, and therefore it is possible that other ships might experience the same problem?

I would say that's definitely a possibility. I'm not familiar with bunkering procedures in Baltimore, but ships frequently bunker from a barge that comes alongside with a delivery specifically for that ship.

I do know samples have to be taken and retained onbooard for a specified period of time.

 

[Slydersan]

This is what I was referring to ^^^^
Nothing coming in through there!

Listening to Bloomberg TV talk about the implications:

LOTS of West Virginia coal goes by rail down in to Baltimore and leaves by this port

Also Dominos Sugar imports lots of sugar through here and has a processing plant here. So I'd suggest if you are in the north east and might be running low, you pick up a bag soon.

And like I said before, lots of new cars come in and lots of farm equipment goes out.

 

[KFhunter]

Ship sent out mayday before impact

Workers closed the bridge so it wasn’t loaded up with morning commuters

2 workers recovered, 1 died in hospital
6 lost in the water

8 total workers affected


These are my notes from the live press release going on now

 

[psychgirl]

Ship sent out mayday

Workers closed the bridge so it wasn’t loaded up with morning commuters

2 workers recovered, 1 died in hospital
6 lost in the water

8 total workers affected


These are my notes from the live press release going on now

Well, they tried their best it sounds like.
Thank God they got the bridge closed when they did.
My heart breaks for those they couldn’t save.

 

[JMG91]

* this * is why I am a nightowl.

The symbology of the bridge name could not be more blatant. Big news cycle day ahead.

Took the words right out of my mouth. The very man who wrote our anthem, and a bridge named in his honor has just been destroyed. A warning that America is crumbling.

 

[KFhunter]

Well, they tried their best it sounds like.
Thank God they got the bridge closed when they did.
My heart breaks for those they couldn’t save.

Those workers save many lives by closing the bridge

The ships captain saved many lives by calling mayday allowing workers to close the bridge in enough time

 

[toxic avenger]

Listening to Bloomberg TV talk about the implications:

LOTS of West Virginia coal goes by rail down in to Baltimore and leaves by this port

Also Dominos Sugar imports lots of sugar through here and has a processing plant here. So I'd suggest if you are in the north east and might be running low, you pick up a bag soon.

And like I said before, lots of new cars come in and lots of farm equipment goes out.

And since sugar is a raw material for so many foods, expect more shortages and price increases.

The coal dock is just outside of the Francis Scott Key bridge, but nearly adjacent to it. The rescue and recovery work may hamper coal dock operations but otherwise they aren’t blocked.

 

[Tex88]

Took the words right out of my mouth. The very man who wrote our anthem, and a bridge named in his honor has just been destroyed. A warning that America is crumbling.

Is it because of a new billionaire caste syphoning up all the wealth the country is producing?

 

[Capt. Eddie]

Prediction;

Whatever the NTSB ends up finding as to the cause, the USCG will promulgate some new onerous regulation that will not address the true root cause but make shipping more difficult/expensive. Just for the sake of "doing something".

 

[Buick Electra]

Hellatious explosion on the container ship at the moment of impact with the support pillar.

Preplaced???

Any strange cargo combo like lithium batteries and paint thinner?

7 people in the water, multiple cars per BBC stream

My first thought on the 'strange cargo' is children.

 

[JMG91]

Is it because of a new billionaire caste syphoning up all the wealth the country is producing?

I figured it was more because the ds hates us and wants most of us dead and the remaining people under their control.

 

[mecoastie]

Hellatious explosion on the container ship at the moment of impact with the support pillar.

Preplaced???

Any strange cargo combo like lithium batteries and paint thinner?

7 people in the water, multiple cars per BBC stream

Where is the explosion? I can’t see it on any of the videos

 

[crossbowboy]

Generator failure leads to loss of situational awareness, losing electronic control of steerage doesn't help.
Momentum ensues, add wind loading...

The failure here was not building adequate buttressing for the bridge piers.
That much rip-rap might have doubled the cost - at the time. Today, not so much.

Murphy's Law should be taught alongside Bernoulli's.
Live and learn, as they say.

 

[KFhunter]

The sparks and fireworks I think are due to the metallurgy of the bridge, high tensile steel and dark out it showed up very well on camera

 

[Red Baron]

Has anyone seen one vehicle pulled out of the water yet?

 

[Kayak]

Where is the explosion? I can’t see it on any of the videos

If you watch the hit in super-slo-mo, it looks to me like the big splash of water, when reflected in the lights, could kind of look like an explosion if you don't consider the fact there's a lot of water in the air at that moment. It's possible it's an explosion, but I think it's the water thrown in to the air reflecting the lights behind it, and the lights of the ship.

 

[Red Baron]

Runtime 7:55

MV Dali Hitting Key Bridge in Baltimore - Track and Video Analysis​

View: https://youtu.be/N39w6aQFKSQ

 

[Capt. Eddie]

Has anyone seen one vehicle pulled out of the water yet?

They said in the presser the bridge was closed to vehicles in time due to mayday call from the ship. Only construction workers went in the water.

 

[Capt. Eddie]

Ship sent out mayday before impact

Workers closed the bridge so it wasn’t loaded up with morning commuters

2 workers recovered, 1 died in hospital
6 lost in the water

8 total workers affected


These are my notes from the live press release going on now

 

[Greywolf036]

Listening to Bloomberg TV talk about the implications:

LOTS of West Virginia coal goes by rail down in to Baltimore and leaves by this port

Also Dominos Sugar imports lots of sugar through here and has a processing plant here. So I'd suggest if you are in the north east and might be running low, you pick up a bag soon.

And like I said before, lots of new cars come in and lots of farm equipment goes out.

Oh much more than your short list goes through there.
Including items that UNKA FJB ships to his buddies overseas.

 

[bw]

They said in the presser the bridge was closed to vehicles in time due to mayday call from the ship. Only construction workers went in the water.

That's what they said, but there were vehicles going across seconds before the collapse. Not many, might have been the construction.

 

[Greywolf036]

seeing as the harbor will be closed for the forsee able future, wonder if the harbour was used as transport site for weapons for Ukraine?

The answer to your question, is YES.
just like other ports.

 

[Reasonable Rascal]

WBAL just reminded that there was a pilot on board who would have been in charge of the ship coming into port.

See what I said on the first page about somebody getting fired. We'll deal with the possible jihadists later.

RR

 

[Red Baron]

They said in the presser the bridge was closed to vehicles in time due to mayday call from the ship. Only construction workers went in the water.

Good news!

 

[Lilbitsnana]

via agenda free tv:

5 vehicles submerged have been marked per Baltimore fire chief (found using infrared and side-scan sonar)

 

[Lilbitsnana]

via agenda free tv:

5 vehicles submerged have been marked per Baltimore fire chief (found using infrared and side-scan sonar)

3 passenger vehicles
a cement truck
and a fifth vehicle (did not describe it, not known if passenger or work vehicle)

 

[northern watch]

 

[WalknTrot]

Listening to Bloomberg TV talk about the implications:

LOTS of West Virginia coal goes by rail down in to Baltimore and leaves by this port

Also Dominos Sugar imports lots of sugar through here and has a processing plant here. So I'd suggest if you are in the north east and might be running low, you pick up a bag soon.

And like I said before, lots of new cars come in and lots of farm equipment goes out.

Plenty of ports can take up the slack, but logistics will be a mess for a few weeks.
My guess is that they will work 24/7 to get some kind of a channel cleared. May not take as long as some think.

 

[bw]

Plenty of ports can take up the slack, but logistics will be a mess for a few weeks.
My guess is that they will work 24/7 to get some kind of a channel cleared. May not take as long as some think.

I predicted there will be traffic in a week, but that doesn't mean it will take a whole week. Once they're done recovering bodies, big stuff will move in fast. By now they've probably got major equipment packing up or on the way.

 

[Walrus]

I would say that's definitely a possibility. I'm not familiar with bunkering procedures in Baltimore, but ships frequently bunker from a barge that comes alongside with a delivery specifically for that ship.

I do know samples have to be taken and retained onbooard for a specified period of time.

The construction workers' families deserve our sincerest condolences

You're right, Cap'n. As busy as that port is, it's an intricate maze with folks trying to make it as efficient as possible during everyday ops.. The other thing is that two (I don't know exactly what to call them) port pilots were aboard and ostensibly in control of the vessel. They've undoubtedly had initial interviews and their notes, phones, etc. taken. This is a situation nobody ever wants to be involved in but they just drew the short straw, like those highway workers did.

The NTSB usually turns over every stone and leaf possible when they do an investigation. A joint command system (ICS/EMS) has already been established and all that should've been explored during past drills and tabletops. Otherwise, it would just be a jumble of people trying to exert command priority right in the early part of an incident response.

There's an incredible amount of pieces in an incident like this, and having the Coast Guard involved doesn't clear up the process. Some big law firms (including the ones for the shippers' and vessel's insurers) have already been geared up by now as well, preparing for some multi-million dollar lawsuits. The earlier the data they can capture, the better for everyone, actually.

Ka-CHING!

 

[Walrus]

I predicted there will be traffic in a week, but that doesn't mean it will take a whole week. Once they're done recovering bodies, big stuff will move in fast. By now they've probably got major equipment packing up or on the way.

Good points. Big derrick barges with monster cranes are undoubtedly already on the move,.

 

[Capt. Eddie]

port pilots were aboard and ostensibly in control of the vessel.

Not to nit pick Walrus, but the pilots are officially just "advisors". The only place in the world the master is not officially in control of the vessel is the Panama canal.

 

[Capt. Eddie]

I predicted there will be traffic in a week, but that doesn't mean it will take a whole week. Once they're done recovering bodies, big stuff will move in fast. By now they've probably got major equipment packing up or on the way.

Good points. Big derrick barges with monster cranes are undoubtedly already on the move,.

100% agreed. It won't take long to get the main Chanel cleared to a useable depth. Worst case is reduced draft for larger vessels transiting the area.

 

[Hognutz]

So, is the shipping channel blocked? Or is there a work around?


Black Swan?