The Francis Scott Key Bridge was named after the author of the US national anthem and opened in 1977. On March 26, 2024, almost exactly forty-seven years later, a cargo ship hit the bridge leading to its collapse.
A Singaporean cargo ship, called Dali, left from the Seagirt Marine Terminal early in the morning. When it neared the bridge, the ship lost power for almost a minute;however, it regained backup power soon after. Concerns have also been raised about the caliber of the backup generator at the time of the accident. Lights had been regained after the backup generator had taken over, but they could be seen flickering. While steering was lost during the one minute power-outage, it was regained as the backup generator activated. As soon as possible, the ship had taken a hard left and dropped its anchor in an effort to avoid hitting the bridge; unfortunately it was not enough. The ship hit a vital support pillar in the bridge, leading to its collapse in just a few seconds. It is important to note that the cargo ship had passed routine inspections before it set sail. Another factor has been brought up in an inquiry into what made Dali stop: its fuel.
“Contaminated fuel is believed to cause scores of ships to lose power and propulsion every year, but the incidents rarely come to light” since it usually takes place while the ships are at open seas and the problem can be dealt with quickly and quietly.
Several containers of hazardous material were located on Dali and officials are monitoring the situation to make sure there is no leakage. While Dali was able to communicate with people on land at the time, signaling an emergency, several lives were lost. Police were able to prevent more cars from going onto the bridge due to the warning from the cargo ship, but eight workers, filling in potholes, were unable to make it out in time. As the Francis Scott Key Bridge fell, eight workers were trapped on it along with their vehicles. Two were later safely recovered by divers searching through the wreckage for survivors. Another two were found dead on Wednesday, Alejandro Hernández Fuentes and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera. The last four are presumed dead due to the cold temperature of the water, 47°F (8 °C), and the extended period for which they have been missing. They have still not been found.
This event shines a light on the hidden weaknesses that could have prevented the power outage from ever happening, and the strength in which our first responders took action that helped save many lives.