On Ships and Bridges

From the trestle of the Baltimore Harbor Thruway (I-895), one can glimpse a glaring sight to the south. A highway ramp ascends, only to abruptly end in clear sky. This was not the sight of construction or planned deconstruction, but the result of an accident at sea. A couple weeks ago, the MV Dali collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge while leaving the Port of Baltimore. Chief Engineer Michael Buckley was one of the first to theorize on social media the exact sequence of electrical problems that the ship experienced before the catastrophic collision. The NTSB also independently focusing on electrical issues. Notably, the tugboats that normally assist ships out of harbor had turned back to the pier by the time of collision. Tugboats cost shipowners money, and in the absence of regulations and laws, they are cut loose at the first opportunity. The harbor pilot was still onboard, but was literally powerless to advise the ship's master in stopping the collision course. Anchor watches are not maintained on merchant ships, and steering gear handpumps take minutes to respond. The radios did work, and the state police saved lives by closing the bridge to road traffic. Although six road workers perished upon collison, two were successfully rescued from the water. Several strategic National Defense Reserve Fleet vessels are currently isolated from the sea. After longtime Senator Barbara Milkulski of Maryland retired, the hospital ship USNS Comfort and an aviation repair ship were relocated to Norfolk, Virginia to reduce sailing time to open ocean from 12 hours to 3 hours. The ones remaining in Baltimore are general cargo vessels. Fort Smallwood Park is located on a penninsula just south of the Key Bridge. Offering a good view of the harbor, I sought to observe salvage operations. However, the park was closed to the public, with a police officer standing guard to turn voyeurs around. Attention was thus directed away from the gnarly steel spectacle, and towards a memorial of photographs, flags, and six large crosses erected in honor of the lost road workers. Honestly, without electrical power, there is no ability to steer the ship. For this reason, tugboats are required for large ships such as oil tankers; I expect that this rule will be expanded to all large ships in the future. I have attached the opinions of a Chief Engineer who worked for the shipping company involved, and which I believe to be mostly spot-on.