DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas says no indications container ship collision was an intentional act
From CNN’s Kevin Liptak
There are “no indications” the collision of a container ship that resulted in a major bridge collapse in Baltimore was an intentional act, US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said on Tuesday.
“We are closely monitoring the tragic situation unfolding as a result of a containership colliding with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. Our thoughts are with the families of the missing and injured,” Mayorkas wrote on social media.
Mayorkas also noted that the US Coast Guard, which is overseen by the Department of Homeland Security, was on scene “along with our state and local partners and is actively involved in search and rescue operations this morning.”
Container ship was inspected 27 times, and had 2 “deficiencies,” records show
From CNN’s Sahar Akbarzai and Lucas Lilieholm
The container ship, Dali, had been inspected 27 times since its building in 2015, and had two “deficiencies” since then, according to records from the Electronic Quality Shipping Information System (Equasis).
In June of 2023, in San Antonio, Chile, the Chilean authorities gave the Dali a “deficiency” for “propulsion and auxiliary machinery — gauges, thermometers, etc,” according to Equasis records. And, in November of 2016, in Antwerp, Belgium, the Dali was given another “deficiency” for “structural conditions” described as “hull damage impairing seaworthiness,” due to it being holed, Equasis records show.
Dali was involved in an incident in 2016 in the Port of Antwerp, port officials confirmed to CNN.
The last inspection the Dali had was on September 9, 2023, when it inspected by the United States Coast Guard in New York, New York, Equasis reports. No deficiencies were noted from that inspection, according to the database.
No crew members injured aboard the Singaporean-flagged cargo ship, management company says
All crew members, including two pilots from the Singaporean-flagged cargo ship Dali, have been accounted for and there are no reports of any injuries, ship management company, Synergy Group said in a statement Tuesday.
The company said there has been “no pollution” as a result of the incident, but Baltimore City Fire Chief James Wallace told reporters earlier that officials haven’t confirmed whether there has been an active fuel spill from the vessel.
“We’ve had odors of diesel fuel,” Wallace said.
He added that the Maryland Department of the Environment and Coast Guard will take the lead on determining if there was an oil fuel spill and what that impact has been so far.
The Synergy Group says the exact cause of the incident is yet to be determined.
“The ‘DALI’ has now mobilised its Qualified Individual Incident response service,” the Synergy Group said. “The US Coast Guard and local officials have been notified, and the owners and managers are fully cooperating with Federal and State government agencies under an approved plan.”
Dive operations begin as search and rescue operations continue
From CNN’s Rebekah Riess
Dive operations have begun as part of the ongoing search and rescue operations following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland on Tuesday morning, Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski told CNN.
“With the sun coming up, we’re now finally able to go in and begin dive operations,” Olszewski said, speaking with CNN’s Sara Sidner on Tuesday morning. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to do that before.”
The county executive noted an investigation into what happened is ongoing, but that the focus remains on search and rescue and the search and recovery efforts. Olszewski said the county’s “most recent intelligence” is that there are “at least seven people who are impacted.”
“The conditions are difficult,” Olszewski said. “We’re talking about a deep channel port. It’s 40, 50 feet of water, strong currents. The weather is windy, the water is cold. And so we certainly worry about those who are in the water, not to mention the fall from the bridge.”
Olszewski reiterated that there had been individuals working on the bridge at the time of the collapse. “We’ve also identified, with side-scanning sonar, that there were cars on the decks,” he said.
“It feels like a nightmare for all of us in the Greater Baltimore region,” Olszewski added.
Who was piloting the ship? A local pilot
From CNN’s Chris Isidore
The container ship Dali, which had just left the Port of Baltimore and was en route to Colombo, Sri Lanka, was not being piloted by its own crew, but by local pilots who are used specifically to avoid accidents like the one that occurred early Tuesday morning.
“Pilots move ships in and out of the Port of Baltimore,” said Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld at a news conference Tuesday.
The pilots get on board just outside of local channels, and take the ships into ports. Outbound ships like this one take the ships from the ports out to open water.
This is true for ships navigating ports, channels and rivers throughout the nation. The idea is that local pilots are aware of hazards in each port, river and channel. It it too early to know the cause of Tuesday’s accident, Wiedefeld said.
The Association of Maryland Pilots is the nation’s oldest state codified organization of pilots, according to its website. While the association goes back to 1852, it says that a reference to bay pilots can be found in Maryland records dating back to 1640, and pilotage laws were established during the first session of Maryland’s legislature in 1787.
1 patient at University of Maryland Medical Center following Baltimore bridge collapse
From CNN’s Maria Sole Campinoti
One person is being evaluated at the University of Maryland Medical Center following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge over the Patapsco River in Baltimore, according to hospital officials.
“The R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland Medical Center received one patient from this incident – they are still in the process of being triaged / evaluated,” according to Michael Schwartzberg, senior director of media relations for the University of Maryland medical system.
No further information on the patient’s condition was released.
Earlier, a Baltimore fire official said two people have been rescued from the river – one who was uninjured and another who was hospitalized in “very serious condition.”
Dali ship was involved in incident in Belgium in 2016, port authorities say
The Dali cargo ship that struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on Tuesday was involved in an “incident” at the Port of Antwerp in Belgium in 2016, port authorities confirmed to CNN.
White House closely monitoring Baltimore bridge collapse
From CNN’s Kevin Liptak and Betsy Klein
The White House is “closely monitoring” the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, a White House official tells CNN.
The US Coast Guard, the official said, is conducting search and rescue efforts, with senior White House officials in touch with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott “to offer any federal assistance they need.”
“Our hearts go out to the families of those who remain missing as a result of this horrific incident,” the official said, adding that there is “no indication of any nefarious incident.”
President Joe Biden has been briefed on the bridge collapse, the White House said Tuesday. “He will continue to receive updates from his team throughout the day,” a White House official said.
Biden is currently scheduled to leave the White House at 12:30 p.m. ET for an event in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Baltimore’s Key Bridge collapsed after a ship crashed into it. Here’s what we know so far
From CNN Staff
The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed early Tuesday morning after it was struck by a 984-foot cargo ship.
Here’s what we know:
- What happened? Video shows the moment the entire bridge structure falls into the water, as the ship hits one of the bridges pillars. CNN analysis shows that the ships lights flickered and it veered off course before it hit the bridge.
- How many people are missing? Baltimore’s Fire Chief James Wallace said at least two people have been rescued, but they are searching for upwards of at least seven others. The Maryland Transportation Secretary also confirmed there were contractors working on the bridge at the time of its collapse. Officials noted that the number of missing people could change.
- How have authorities responded? Wallace said authorities are carrying out a search and rescue operation using sonar and infrared technologies as well as drones. He said they have identified vehicles submerged in the water. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore declared a state of emergency following the collapse of the bridge. The Baltimore branch of the FBI is also at the scene, however the Baltimore police chief said there was no indication of terrorism as a motivating factor.
- What was on board the ship? The ship was chartered by Danish shipping company Maersk and was carrying their customers’ cargo, the Danish shipping company told CNN. The company said no Maersk crew or personnel were onboard the vessel. It said the ship, DALI, is operated by charter vessel company Synergy Group.
Water temperatures near Baltimore bridge collapse could be dangerous for people still in river, experts say
From CNN Meteorologist Derek Van Dam
Rescue workers in Baltimore are continuing to search for as many as seven people after a major bridge in the city’s port was struck by a container ship early Tuesday, officials said. It is an “active search and rescue” situation, the city’s fire chief said, and the number of missing people could change.
Water temperatures in Baltimore Harbor near the site of the bridge collapse are currently reported between 46 and 48 degrees Fahrenheit, which is a dangerous temperature for people who are submerged in it and who “aren’t prepared for what the sudden exposure can do to your body and brain,” according to a cold water safety website from the National Weather Service.
Exhausted swimmers without floatation can survive within water temperatures of 40 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 to 60 minutes, while the likely survival time with floatation is two to three hours, according to the University of Minnesota.
The search and rescue operations have now entered the sixth hour since this event occurred.
CNN Meteorologist Monica Garrett contributed to this reporting.
The FAA is restricting planes from flying over the Key Bridge wreckage
From CNN’s Andy Rose
The Federal Aviation Administration is restricting aircraft from flying over the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
“Drone pilots: The FAA has flight restrictions in place around the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse,” the FAA posted to X, formerly known as Twitter. “Do not interfere with rescue operations. If you fly, emergency response operations cannot.”
The restriction established Tuesday morning covers Baltimore Harbor and is close to Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI), one of the busiest airports in the region.
No delays were noted at the airport Tuesday morning.
Baltimore mayor: Focus should be on rescuing victims who may still be in the water
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott told CNN, the early morning collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge is “an unspeakable tragedy,” he told CNN.
And while there is concern for the status of the bridge, traffic and the port, Scott wants to concentrate on victims that may still be in the water, he said.
“Right now, everyone in this world’s focus should be about these souls and those families who are wondering if these people are going to walk back in the door after they walked out to work last night,” Scott said.
The Baltimore mayor called the ongoing search and rescue mission conducted via sonar, an “all hands on deck effort.”
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Ship lights flickered and veered off course shortly before Baltimore bridge hit, CNN analysis shows
From CNN’s Allegra Goodwin in London
The Singaporean-flagged cargo ship that struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore Tuesday altered course and veered toward a pillar shortly before impact, a CNN analysis of MarineTraffic ship-tracking data confirms.
It’s unclear what caused the ship to crash into the bridge or why its lights were flickering. CNN has reached out to the National Transportation Safety Board to inquire about a possible power failure.
The container ship Dali, which was en route to Colombo, Sri Lanka, begins to change course toward the bridge’s pillar at 1:26 a.m. local time, striking the bridge at 1:28 a.m. ET, according to MarineTraffic data and video from the scene. Video from 1: 25 a.m. ET shows a plume of dark smoke billowing from the ship. Dali’s lights flicker at least twice before the incident.
In video, as it navigates down the Patapsco River, the ship’s lights can be seen going out at 1:24 a.m. ET, before turning back on, and then flickering off and on again between 1:26 a.m. ET and 1.27 a.m. ET, just before it hits the bridge.
Maryland transportation secretary says contractors were working on bridge at time of collapse
From CNN’s Antoinette Radford
Maryland State Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld told reporters there were workers on the Francis Scott Key Bridge at the time of its collapse.
“We know there were individuals on the bridge at the time of the collapse, working on the bridge, contractors for us,” he said at a news conference Tuesday morning.
Wiedefeld said the workers were “basically doing some concrete deck repair,” but said they did not know how many vehicles were involved.
He added that the transport authority has set up a facility for family members of those who were believed to be on the bridge at the time of its collapse.
Baltimore fire chief: Sonar has detected the presence of vehicles submerged in the water
From CNN’s Antoinette Radford
Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace says authorities have detected vehicles submerged in the water.
“Our sonar has detected the presence of vehicles submerged in the water,” said Wallace at a news conference on the collapse of Francis Scott Key Bridge. “I don’t have a count of that yet.”
He said emergency services are using sonar, drones and infrared technology as a part of their search for people and vehicles who may have fallen from the Key Bridge into the Patapsco River.
No indication of “terrorism” or intent in Baltimore bridge collapse, police chief says
From CNN’s Andy Rose
Baltimore Police said there was no evidence that the ship collision that caused the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge was intentional.
“There is absolutely no indication that there’s any terrorism, that this was done on purpose,” Chief Richard Worley said at a news conference.
The FBI said that it was joining the investigation into the cause of the collision.
Rescue crews have determined there are vehicles in the Patapsco River following the bridge collapse.
“Our sonar has detected the presence of vehicles submerged in the water,” said Fire Chief James Wallace. “I don’t have a count of that yet.”
Wallace said they are waiting to make sure that the ship is secure and stable before investigators board it.
“Never would you think that you would see, physically see, the Key Bridge tumble down like that,” Mayor Brandon M. Scott said.
“It looked like something out of an action movie.”
Cruises, cars and commodities: What to know about the Port of Baltimore
From CNN’s Mark Thompson and Hanna Ziady
The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge over the Patapsco River outside the Port of Baltimore threatens to disrupt shipping operations at a major US trade hub for autos, container traffic and commodities. Baltimore also has a cruise terminal.
Closer to the Midwest than any other port on the East Coast, Baltimore ranks first in the United States for autos and light trucks, handling a record 850,000 vehicles last year. It was also the leading port for farming and construction machinery, as well as imported sugar and gypsum. It was second in the country for exporting coal.
Overall, Baltimore ranks as the 9th biggest US port for international cargo, handling a record 52.3 million tons, valued at $80.8 billion in 2023.
“The immediate focus is the rescue operation, but there will clearly be a highly-complex recovery phase and investigation to follow and we don’t know what impact this will have on operations at the Port of Baltimore,” said Emily Stausbøll, market analyst at Norway-based shipping analytics company Xeneta.
“While Baltimore is not one of the largest US East Coast ports, it still imports and exports more than one million containers each year so there is the potential for this to cause significant disruption to supply chains,” she added.
Baltimore’s cruise terminal serves ships operated by Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Norwegian. Cruises carrying more than 444,000 passengers departed from the port last year.
According to the Maryland state government, the port supports 15,330 direct jobs and 139,180 jobs in related services.
