Any hope of rescuing victims following the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key bridge has evaporated according to the US Coast Guard, which called off the search after dark yesterday.
According to US emergency services, there were eight maintenance staff repairing the potholes in the road when the Maersk-operated, 10,000 TEU Dali crashed into the bridge, which immediately collapsed.
Two workers were rescued, one seriously injured, another uninjured and six remain missing. It is not certain whether there were vehicles on the bridge at the time of the collapse, if there were the casualty rate will surely increase.
Coast Guard Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath said in a briefing, “We do not believe that we’re going to find any of these individuals [the six maintenance staff] alive”.
US authorities, including Maryland State Police and US Coast Guard officials, reported that conditions had deteriorated, with diminished visibility and treacherous currents in the channel where the wreckage has made search efforts too risky to continue overnight.
State police Colonel Roland Butler told reporters late Tuesday that the search for the bodies of the six maintenance workers would resume at 6 am local time on Wednesday.
“We’re hoping to put divers in the water and begin a more detailed search to do our very best to recover those six missing people,” he said.
US authorities praised the crew of the Dali, who quickly raised the alarm allowing the authorities to clear as many vehicles from the bridge before the accident as possible, they said this would have undoubtedly saved lives.
All 22 crew on the Dali are safe and there has been no reported pollution from the vessel, which is insured by the UK-based Britannia P&I club.
Meanwhile, US Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg, warned of “major and protracted impact to supply chains” following the closure of the Port of Baltimore for the foreseeable future.
The Port of Baltimore Administration confirmed, “Vessel traffic into and out of the Port of Baltimore is suspended until further notice. This does not mean the Port of Baltimore is closed. Trucks are being processed within our marine terminals.”
However, the administration also conceded that “we do not know how long vessel traffic will be suspended. As soon as that is determined we will provide an update.”
Baltimore Port is best known for its handling of cars, but the terminals at the inland port also handle, bulk much of the US coal is handled in Baltimore, Ro-Ro and container cargoes.
In the top ten ports for cargo handled in the US, Baltimore announced a record year on 24 February, handling 52.3m tonnes, with a record value of over US$80 billion in 2023, including 1.1 million TEUs at its terminals.
Port administrators also reported the increase in container traffic would be boosted by the CSX-owned Howard Street Tunnel expansion project, that will allow double-stacked container rail cars “and enable seamless double-stack capacity from Maine to Florida. The project involves clearance improvements in the 127-year-old tunnel and at 21 other locations between Baltimore and Philadelphia.”
Completion of the tunnel expansion is expected in 2027.
Mary Ann Evans
Correspondent at Large
