In the wee hours of Tuesday, March 26th, a 300-meter-long Singaporean-flagged ship (the Dali) en route to Sri Lanka lost power and crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The ship, traveling around nine miles per hour, hit the Francis Scott Key Bridge with an estimated force of upwards of 100 million Newtons. The destruction wrought by the collusion could cost millions of dollars in lost labor costs stemming from the closure of the major Baltimore port; this estimate is without consideration of the potential cost of rebuilding the bridge itself which estimates say could far exceed 400 million dollars and take multiple years. The toll isn’t only economic; 6 workers working on filling potholes tragically didn’t make it out alive. Here’s the series of events that have played out thus far:
This is a massive impact on the national economy.
Governor Wes Moore
A Mayday Call
Not one hour after the 95,000-pound Dali pulled out of its berth at a marine terminal southeast of downtown Baltimore and began moving through the Patapsco River, the ship’s lights began to flicker on and off. Numerous alarms followed as the ship drifted right toward one of the bridge’s primary center columns, losing all power; at that point, the mayday call was made. The ship’s pilot asked for tugs in the area, and an effort was made to deploy the ship’s anchor. However, according to James Mercante, the president of the New York Board of Pilot Commissioners, it “would take quite a while – probably the length of five [or] six football fields – to bring that ship to a stop.” Nothing could’ve stopped the ship’s collision course; due to the quick action from the authorities, traffic was stopped at both the north and south end of the bridge, and potential casualties were averted. The window to which problems were reported with the ship was a mere three minutes. The allotted time between call and impact was just enough time to redirect traffic but not enough for the workers working to fill potholes on the bridge.
For six of the workers, each of whom was from Hispanic countries comprising a pool that encompassed El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, and Honduras, the crash would prove to be fatal. Two bodies were recovered on March 27th, 2024, and the other four are presumed to be dead.
What caused the ship to malfunction and cause this disaster is unknown; the Dali had cleared a 2023 inspection in Chile and another inspection by the U.S. Coast Guard in New York in September. The only known problem with the ship was a faulty pressure gauge for the fuel heaters, which was fixed before the Dali left the port. Dali had also undergone routine engine maintenance before it left Baltimore. Officials are still reeling for answers as the destruction’s reality has just set in.
Clear Destruction
The debris has settled, and the Dali is now trapped at under 4,000 tons of debris, making search efforts for the missing four workers nearly impossible. The state of Maryland and the federal government have mobilized every available recourse to clear the debris. Currently, there are seven floating cranes, including the largest crane on the U.S. eastern seaboard which can lift up to 1,000 tons have been called. Ten tugboats, nine barges, eight salvage vessels, and five Coast Guard boats were on site to mobilize the cleanup effort. However, Governor Wes Moore has urged caution: “Every time we move a piece of the structure, the situation could become even more dangerous.” This statement is made all the more pressing as a total of 56 containers on board were carrying 764 tons of hazardous materials.
The disaster that has wracked Baltimore is bound to have profound economic impacts that will harm shipping across the Eastern seaboard. The port of Baltimore is set to remain closed as Scott Spellmon, commanding general of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says “I don’t think we’re talking days, I don’t think we’re talking months… I think we’re talking weeks” on the reopening of the channel. Following the collapse, the federal government has since sent an initial 60 million dollar relief package that includes funding for recovery and debris clearing. The U.S. Small Business Administration is rolling out Economic Injury Disaster Loans to aid small businesses affected by the collapse.
The closing of the port of Baltimore is set to cost millions of dollars in lost labor costs. Given the port’s critical importance in supplying more than 150,000 jobs and ranking first among U.S. ports for autos and light trucks, handling a record 850,000 vehicles last year, a swift response by government authorities is critical in ensuring that economic stability is restored.
The Francis Scott Key Bridge disaster is set to be remembered as one of the costliest insured disasters in American history. The city of Baltimore has a long way to go to recover completely, and government should not withhold any effort in rebuilding.
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