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Baltimore Bridge Accident

maximus otter said:
"Clearly unseaworthy": Baltimore accuses Dali cargo ship owner, operator of negligence


The city of Baltimore said the cargo ship that struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge was "clearly unseaworthy" when it left the Baltimore port last month, per court documents filed Monday.

The big picture: Baltimore's mayor and city council accused both the owner of the container ship Dali, Grace Ocean Private, and its operator, Synergy Marine Group, of being "grossly and potentially criminally negligent."

https://www.axios.com/2024/04/23/baltimore-ship-negligence-claim-bridge-collapse

maximus otter
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I'm sure the city of Baltimore can say this, but until the federal investigation is complete there is no proof.

The city is obviously setting up to bring a civil (? I don't know law to know if this is the correct term) suit against the ship owners following whatever the federal jurisdiction finds and rules.
 
From what the TV people said, the Maritime Laws of 1851 make things unclear.

The U.S. needed trade in those days and the Feds did not want anything to stop the free trading.
 
A preliminary report said this ship was having electrical problems before leaving dock.

In one situation the engine dampers were wrong.

In another situation the electrical systems were configured wrong.

You have to ask if the crew members were uneducated people off the streets ?
 
charliebrown said:
You have to ask if the crew members were uneducated people off the streets ?
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Whoa. That's a mean-spirited comment. We know nothing about the situation to make such disparaging remarks.

In other news, they used explosives to break up the bridge metal that was spanning the ship. The charges split the metal that was under tension because it was too dangerous to workers to cut it apart. It seemed to go as planned.

Video
If this isn't visible, just search for it, it's all over youtube.
 
Headline states 'months' after accident when it's actually seven weeks.



As a controlled explosion rocked the Dali on Monday, nearly two dozen sailors remained on board, below deck in the massive ship's hull.

The simultaneous blasts sent pieces of Baltimore's once iconic Francis Scott Key Bridge into the dark waters of Maryland's Patapsco River, seven weeks after its collapse left six people on the bridge dead and the Dali marooned.

Authorities - and the crew - hope that the demolition will mark the beginning of the end of a long process that has left the 21 men on board trapped and cut off from the world, thousands of miles from their homes.

But for now, it remains unclear when they will be able to return home.

The Dali - a 948ft (289m) container ship - was at the start of a 27-day journey from Baltimore to Sri Lanka when it struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge, sending thousands of tonnes of steel and cement into the Patapsco. It left the ship stranded under a massive expanse of shredded metal.

A preliminary NTSB report found that two electrical blackouts disabled equipment ahead of the incident, and noted that the ship lost power twice in the 10 hours leading up to the crash.

The crew, made up of 20 Indians and a Sri Lankan national, has been unable to disembark because of visa restrictions, a lack of required shore passes and parallel ongoing investigations by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and FBI.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-69011124
 
There are some excellent Youtube channels with regular updates on the progress. This guy has the best video. I'd like to know what kind of camera he uses to get things like the doofus in the kayak being intercepted by the Coast Guard, from a mile and a half away.


This next guy is a firefighter and I believe he is also a sailor, and really seems to know his stuff. Here's his report on the demolition fireworks, using the previous guy's video for some of the coverage. I first encountered this channel when the Ever Given was wedged in the Suez Canal, and his information was very helpful to me in understanding that mess.


Having known a few people who worked for the Army Corps of Engineers, as well as others in related work, I can imagine that the "precision cutting" project was what those sorts of people live for. It seems to have gone according to plan, with the rest of the work being mostly just moving really heavy things. The size and number of specialized machines on the job is a marvel. Here's a comment from the second video above, that I think sums up the operation so far very well:

"Remarkable what can be accomplished when you don't buy into excessive drama and just get to work getting the job done. Hats off to all the engineers working on this project. Administrations and politics can't do this work but they sure could have screwed up it's progress. Staying to the side and letting the work get done is about the best we could of hoped for and it seems to be working."

Apparently, it's quite common for the crew to remain on cargo ships for months at a time, not going ashore in port. There was a group that provided new phones for the crew, since theirs were seized by the Feds. Good on them. I'm sure the work is demanding and degrading enough at times, without losing contact with family and friends. Most of the crew had zero input on the decisions that led to the catastrophe, of course. I suppose they are just happy they are not dealing with pirates.
 
Floyd said:
Headline states 'months' after accident when it's actually seven weeks.



As a controlled explosion rocked the Dali on Monday, nearly two dozen sailors remained on board, below deck in the massive ship's hull.
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Wow. Somehow I missed that people were still aboard. How awful.

And the demolition work is dangerous.

Hopefully the work will continue uneventful and everyone gets home safe.
 
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