What contributed to the Baltimore Bridge collapse?
By Ido Vock
Shortly after midnight on Tuesday, the Dali container ship slammed into a concrete column holding up the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which spans the Baltimore Harbour.
A vast length of the 1.5 mile (2.4km)-long bridge immediately collapsed, plunging eight construction workers who were on the bridge at the time into the water below. Two were rescued, and six are presumed dead.
The incident shut down a major US port, leading to fears of knock-on effects on global supply chains.
Investigators are probing the cause of the crash. The recovery of the data recorder will shed more light on how the ship malfunctioned.
But experts say a series of factors, from possible poor-quality fuel leading to a power outage to the bridge being designed for much smaller ships, may have contributed to the collapse of the bridge.
Video from the incident shows the Dali losing power in the moments before the collision. A power cut may have caused the ship’s crew to lose control of its steering, ultimately making them unable to control its trajectory.
Investigators are reportedly probing whether contaminated fuel played a role in the ship losing power. Impure fuel can create problems with a ship’s engines and power generation.
