How the Baltimore Key Bridge collapsed: experts break down the perfect storm of errors
The Dali set out from the Port of Baltimore around 1am on Tuesday, a local pilot manoeuvring the container ship towards open waters after two days in the harbour in preparation for its next sail to Sri Lanka. The 948-foot vessel edged closer to Francis Scott Key Bridge and its four lanes of I-695 over the Patapsco River; early-morning traffic was relatively light as construction crews fixed potholes on the major thoroughfare that’s served the region since 1977.
The bridge , according to records from its last 2021 inspection viewed by the the construction was essentially cosmetic and the workers, presumably, immersed in routine. Then the lights of the went off, on, and off again; it wasn’t long before the ship issued a mayday call and officers, having lost propulsion and power, buttress just before 1.30am; less than a minute later, the majority of the structure vanished beneath the surface of the Pataspco.
