Container Ship Collapses the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore

[Michael H. Standart]

1:29 in the morning almost on the button. Thanks be to whatever fates or deities you believe in that this didn't happen during rush hour.

 

[William Oakes]

Apparently, she lost power.

 

[Michael H. Standart]

Apparently, she lost power.

I've been watching the videos and whatever it is, it bit them twice. You can see the first power failure as the Dali is heading down the shipping channel, the lights coming back on, then the next failure where the ship veered hard right into that support column.

WHY it happened makes for an interesting question but you can't miss that pall of black smoke coming out of the stack. That speaks to some kind of engineering casualty.

 

[Arun Vajpey]

I expect the cost implications to replace the bridge will be colossal, including the disruption caused to users as aresult. Will the shipping company will have to shoulder the cost? I'm not sure if their insurance will cover something like this scale.

 

[Michael H. Standart]

I expect the cost implications to replace the bridge will be colossal, including the disruption caused to users as aresult. Will the shipping company will have to shoulder the cost? I'm not sure if their insurance will cover something like this scale.

I'd be extremely surprised if they didn't have to pick up some of the tab.

 

[Steven Christian]

It's a good thing the train wasn't crossing it when it collapsed. That would have been even worse.

 

[Samuel Halpern]

I expect the cost implications to replace the bridge will be colossal, including the disruption caused to users as a result. Will the shipping company will have to shoulder the cost? I'm not sure if their insurance will cover something like this scale.

Pres. Biden, in an obvious political move IMO, said he will ask congress to approve the full cost to rebuild it.
By the way, there is no uncollapsible bridge.

 

[Arun Vajpey]

By the way, there is no uncollapsible bridge.

I didn't think there could be.

With regard to costs due to the accident, I expect there will be hidden ones in addition to those related to replacement of the bridge, lost cargo from the ship and damage to the ship itself. I meant the commuters and others using the bridge regularly will have to be rerouted etc with associated disruption.

Biden, in an obvious political move IMO, said he will ask congress to approve the full cost to rebuild it.

Not sure how these things work in the US but if Congress do approve it and the rebuild goes ahead, won't the expense come out of the taxpayer's purse? If that's the case would that not be a risky move in Maryland, a state that usually votes Democratic?

 

[Samuel Halpern]

Not sure how these things work in the US but if Congress do approve it and the rebuild goes ahead, won't the expense come out of the taxpayer's purse?

Yup.

 

[Encyclopedia Titanica]

Pres. Biden, in an obvious political move IMO, said he will ask congress to approve the full cost to rebuild it.
By the way, there is no uncollapsible bridge.

Only practically uncollapsible.

 

[Dave Gittins]

It's a good thing the train wasn't crossing it when it collapsed. That would have been even worse.

There was no trainline. It just had two road lanes each way. One good thing is that there are big electric notices boards at each end and warnings can be displayed very quickly. Maybe they were used.

 

[Steven Christian]

There was no trainline. It just had two road lanes each way. One good thing is that there are big electric notices boards at each end and warnings can be displayed very quickly. Maybe they were used.

Yes I know. It was sarc. Somebody in the news who I won't name made up another story about how he used to ride the train across that bridge.

 

[Michael H. Standart]

Everybody out there is kicking around conspiracy theories or jumping all over gaffs from the politricksters they love to hate or defending the gaffs from the politricksters they love to love.

Can we put a stop to that please? Just...enough with the cheap shots! Nobody's perfect and neither is human memory. False memories can be and often are as vivid as real ones, and everybody is subject to that. Including us!

What is germane is the accident itself and what's going to be done about it. Getting the shipping lane open is of paramount importance and then there is the matter of replacing the bridge. For the time being, Uncle Sam will have to pick up the tab if only because any of the legal action to get compensation for damages could take years. The bridge needs to back in service yesterday.

Hopefully whatever is built will be with supports designed to deal with impacts from large ships. It's not like this has never happened before.

 

[Arun Vajpey]

Seriously, sudden power failure as the ship approached the bridge has been suggested as a possible cause for the accident. On a contemporary vessel lie the Dali, how can a total loss of power occur without any warning? And if it somehow did, will there be back-up mechanisms to slow or steer the ship to safety if possible or will it become a veritable juggernaut till the momentum runs out?

 

[Steven Christian]

Seriously, sudden power failure as the ship approached the bridge has been suggested as a possible cause for the accident. On a contemporary vessel lie the Dali, how can a total loss of power occur without any warning? And if it somehow did, will there be back-up mechanisms to slow or steer the ship to safety if possible or will it become a veritable juggernaut till the momentum runs out?

According to news reports she was experiencing intermittent power failures the previous 2 days or so. I suspect the company was putting pressure on them to get the cargo delivered and they took a chance and went for it. A bad gamble on their part.