MPA to aid probe as search for survivors continues

A container ship smashed into a four-lane bridge in the US port of Baltimore in darkness on March 26, causing it to collapse and sending cars and people plunging into the river below.

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Rescuers pulled out two survivors, one in a “very serious condition” and the other uninjured, and were searching for more in the Patapsco River after huge spans of the 2.6km Francis Scott Key Bridge crumpled into the water.

Eight people were on the bridge at the time of the collision and six remain unaccounted for, said Maryland’s transportation secretary.

“The vessel struck the bridge causing a complete collapse.” The ship was identified as a Singapore-flagged container ship, the Dali. The registered owner of the ship is Grace Ocean and the manager is Synergy Marine Group.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said in response to The Straits Times’ queries that it has contacted the US Coast Guard, the Office of Marine Safety and the National Transportation Safety Board to offer assistance as the flag administration, adding that investigators from Singapore’s Transport Safety Investigation Bureau and MPA are headed to Baltimore to support investigations.

Ship manager Synergy reported that just before the collision, the Dali experienced a “momentary loss of propulsion” and was unable to maintain its desired direction and collided with the bridge, said MPA.

The Dali dropped its anchors as part of the vessel’s emergency procedures before the collision, added MPA. The ship was under pilotage during the incident, meaning a pilot was on hand to navigate the vessel.