Baltimore Bridge Collapse: Investigation Launched After Dali Ship Collision Raises Questions

Jakarta –

Destruction bridge largest in Baltimore, United States, raising big questions about how such a disaster could occur. The National Transportation Safety Board launched an investigation into the incident, in which the Singapore-flagged cargo ship Dali collided with one of the bridge’s support beams, causing it to collapse.

Quoted detikINET From Insider, both the FBI and the White House said that so far there was no indication of malicious intent or a terror attack in this incident. Maryland Governor Wes Moore said a preliminary investigation showed the incident was an accident.

But what is clear is that one of the largest modern shipping vessels has crashed into an old bridge that was not designed to withstand such an impact. Henry Lipian, an expert at Introtech Accident Reconstruction and Forensics, suspects there was some kind of mechanical failure, meaning there was a problem with the ship’s systems, steering or perhaps the generator went out. Lipian said it was more likely than a mistake made by the pilot or captain.

Governor Moore revealed the crew notified authorities they had lost power. The ship was moving very fast and a mayday call stopped a bigger disaster from happening, as the cars were successfully diverted away from the bridge. According to him, the bridge fully complies with regulations and there are no structural problems.

It was reported that the Dali vessel signaled to authorities that it had lost propulsion and was likely to collide. Loss of propulsion will impact the steering’s ability to steer effectively

“If the rudder is off, the ship will be at the mercy of the wind and current,” Lipian said. The size of the ship, which is 300 meters long and weighs 95 thousand tons, even though it moves slowly, will produce enormous kinetic energy.

Moreover, the bridge was old and there seemed to be no adequate protection system. “What we do know is that a bridge like this, completed in the 1970s, is not built to withstand a crash into the critical support beams of a ship weighing approximately 200 million pounds,” said US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

Dali ship problem

Dali’s ship had previously had problems. In June 2023, this container ship was hit by problems related to its propulsion system. However, it remains unclear whether the problems discovered in June were related to the cause of the crash in Baltimore.

Clay Diamond, executive director of the American Pilots’ Association, said Dali lost power about eight minutes before the crash. The captain on the ship tried to start an emergency diesel generator to restart the ship and restart the electrical system.

However, the propulsion apparently cannot operate again. “We were told that the ship never regained propulsion,” he said.

Authorities and Singapore-headquartered Synergy Marine are investigating the cause of the power outage and disruption. Singaporean maritime officials said the Dali had passed previous port inspections and that the June incident was a faulty fuel pressure gauge, which was repaired before the ship left port.

Watch the video “Baltimore Bridge Collapse Investigation Could Take 1-2 Years”

(fyk/fay)

2024-03-28 15:15:12
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