A dwell video posted on YouTube confirmed the ship plowing into the bridge in darkness. The headlights of autos may very well be seen on the bridge because it crashed into the water and the ship caught fireplace.
US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg mentioned the closure of one of many nation’s busiest delivery lanes till additional discover would have a protracted impression on provide chains. The Port of Baltimore handles extra vehicle cargo than another US port – greater than 750,000 autos in 2022, in accordance with port information.
Common Motors and Ford Motor will reroute affected shipments, however the corporations mentioned the impression could be minimal.
Work crews had been repairing potholes on the bridge on the time of the collapse, and sonar detected autos underneath the water, which was about 50 ft deep at that time, mentioned Paul Wiedefeld, Maryland Secretary of Transportation.
Eight folks had been on the bridge on the time, and the governor mentioned at a day briefing: “We nonetheless have the six people who’re lacking.”
The 288.95m vessel, so long as three soccer fields positioned finish to finish, had skilled a momentary lack of propulsion and dropped anchors as a part of emergency procedures earlier than impression, its administration firm, Synergy Marine Pte Ltd reported, in accordance with the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).
The Dali, owned by Grace Ocean Pte Ltd, rammed into one of many pillars of the bridge, in accordance with supervisor Synergy. All 22 crew members aboard the vessel had been accounted for, it mentioned.
The closure additionally threatened to disrupt provides of products starting from coal to sugar. It might create bottlenecks and enhance delays and prices on the Jap seaboard, consultants say.
President Joe Biden mentioned the US Coast Guard responded rapidly to the mayday name and counseled the quick motion of Maryland transportation officers who shut the bridge earlier than it was struck and “undoubtedly saved lives.”
On the White Home, Biden promised to go to Baltimore, 64km away, as quickly as doable and mentioned he wished the federal government to pay to rebuild the bridge.
“I am directing my staff to maneuver heaven and earth to reopen the port and rebuild the bridge as quickly as humanly doable,” Biden mentioned. The bridge, named for the creator of the Star-Spangled Banner, opened in 1977.