BALTIMORE — It's been more than 72 hours since a cargo ship collided with Baltimore's Key Bridge causing its collapse into the Patapsco River.
The tragedy left six construction workers dead, four of whom are still missing.
Here is a breakdown of what we know so far, and where the investigation currently stands.
Officials confirmed the names of five of the six victims.
- Alejandro Hernandez-Fuentes, 35, of Baltimore, Maryland; originally from Mexico
- Dorlian Ronial Castillo-Cabrera, 26, of Dundalk, Maryland; originally from Guatemala
FacebookDorlian Castillo Cabrera - Miguel Luna, from El Salvador
Obtained by CNN via CNN NewsourceMiguel Luna - Maynor Suazo-Sandoval, 38, from Honduras
Martin Suazo via CNN NewsourceMaynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval
5. Jose Mynor Lopez,35, from Guatemala
Each was working for a company called Brawner Builders, filling potholes on the bridge when it collapsed.
Only Hernandez-Fuentes and Castillo-Cabrera have been found so far.
Crews recovered the men Wednesday morning from a pickup truck submerged 25 feet under the water.
Recovery efforts for the others are temporarily on pause for diver safety.
The DALI was sailing under a Singapore flag, hauling cargo for the Danish-based shipping company, Maersk, to Colombo, Sri Lanka, according to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
It was staffed with nearly two-dozen crew members from India, and two local pilots. Everyone aboard is safe and accounted for.
Owned by Singapore-based Grace Ocean Private Ltd., the 948-foot DALI is managed by Synergy Marine Group.
Built in 2015, the DALI was at about half-capacity when it crashed, carrying 4,679 twenty-foot equivalent unit containers weighing a combined 116,851 pounds.
Of those containers, approximately 56 contained hazardous materials — mostly corrosives, flammables (1.5 million gallons of fuel), and some miscellaneous items such as lithium-ion batteries.
Despite passing U.S. Coast Guard inspection as recently as September 2023, the DALI has two past documented deficiencies.
The most recent was reported in June 2023 when a faulty monitor gauge for fuel pressure was fixed before departing San Antonio, Chile.
Then in July 2016, the DALI scraped a pier at the Antwerp Terminal in Belgium. The ship's hull was damaged causing its "seaworthiness" to be deemed impaired.
The 1.6-mile-long Key Bridge opened in 1977 and had a 185-foot vertical clearance.
Overall, the bridge was listed in fair condition based on its latest inspection in May 2023. An estimated 11.5 million vehicles passed over the bridge annually.
Back in December 1980 a vessel lost power and collided with its main pier, which according to a Coast Guard report, left a protective concrete structure destroyed.
The Key Bridge was a "fracture critical bridge, meaning if a member fails it’ll cause the entire bridge to collapse," according to the National Transportation Safety Board. The preferred method of construction is to have redundancy built-in, which the Key Bridge did not have.
Out of 615,000 U.S. bridges, more than 17,000 are considered "fracture critical."
Before the Crash:
Leading up to the crash, DALI pilots reported a loss of propulsion, and eventually a full power outage.
Less than five minutes later, the DALI hit one of the bridge's support pillars.
Prior to impact, crew members dropped the ship's anchors as part of its emergency procedures.
Police stopped traffic just in time, preventing any commuters from being injured.
After the Crash:
The Department of Homeland Security said the pilots underwent post-accident Drug and Alcohol Testing.
Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board recovered the ship's voyage data recorder to further analyze what happened.
The DALI remains docked where the collision occurred, with crew members still on-board cooperating in the investigation.
There is a light hydraulic oil sheen visible in the water that's believed to be from the DALI's bow thruster. Currently there is no evidence of pollution or leakage, despite 14 containers with hazardous materials being damaged.
"The chemical components assessed were soap products, perfume products, or not otherwise specified resin," Unified Command said in a statement. "We have been conducting air monitoring on the vessel and around the vessel with our contractor. No volatile organic compounds or flammable vapors were observed. We are continuing to air monitor throughout the incident. Pollution and debris removal operations are on-going. At this time, no atmospheric hazards have been detected and the Unified Command continues to ensure safety."
Over the next 24-48 hours the Coast Guard plans to make the crash site safe for salvage removal. That includes assessing and stabilizing the ship, which thus far has taken on no water.
The second phase involves removing damaged containers from the ship, before lifting parts of the bridge that fell on top.
From there, the Coast Guard will tow the DALI to Dundalk Marine Terminal.
More than 1,000 members of the US Army Corps of Engineers have been activated to help clear debris, which consist of 2,900 feet of steel and concrete lodged at the bottom of the river.
The U.S. Navy is bringing in massive cranes and other equipment to assist with getting the job done.
Equipment includes a 1000-ton lift capacity derrick barge, 400-ton lift capacity revolving crane barge, and 160T revolving crane.
In the meantime, ship imports and exports at the Port of Baltimore are suspended indefinitely.
The State Highway Administration has implemented traffic detours.
"The outer loop I-695 closure has shifted to exit 1/Quarantine Road (past the Curtis Creek Drawbridge) to allow for enhanced local traffic access. The inner loop of I-695 remains closed at MD 157 (Peninsula Expressway). Additionally, the ramp from MD 157 to the inner loop of I-695 will be closed. Drivers should use I-95 (Fort McHenry Tunnel) or I-895 (Baltimore Harbor Tunnel) for north/south routes.
"Commercial vehicles carrying materials that are prohibited in the tunnel crossings, including recreation vehicles carrying propane, should plan on using I-695 (Baltimore Beltway) between Essex and Glen Burnie."
The bridge collapse could cost as much as $4 billion, a record loss for shipping insurance, according to a new Homeland Security assessment obtained by ABC News.
The impact is expected to be significant, not only for residents in the Baltimore region who depend on goods and services being delivered, but also port workers who could be missing out on a paycheck.
Just last year the Port of Baltimore created around 15,300 direct jobs, with nearly 140,000 jobs overall linked to Port activities.
Those jobs generated nearly $3.3 billion in personal wages and salaries, $2.6 billion in business revenue, and nearly $400 million in state and local tax revenue annually, according to the Maryland Port Administration.
Overall, the Port is the second busiest along the Mid-Atlantic, and first in the nation for vehicles, carrying 30,000 cars a day through our region.
It's also a hub for cruise lines.
Carnival already decided to temporarily move operations to Norfolk, Virginia.
As for agricultural impact, here is what the American Farm Bureau Federation’s latest Market Intel. says.
"On the export side, in 2023, over 605,000 metric tons (MT) of agricultural products were exported from Baltimore corresponding to nearly $650 million in value (price of products times quantity purchased). This equates to just 0.3% of total U.S. ag exports by quantity and 0.4% by value. On the import side, in 2023, over 1.59 MT of agricultural products entered though Baltimore, corresponding to nearly $3.34 billion in value. By quantity, over 25% of all U.S. imported raw beet and cane sugar entered through Baltimore (562,000 MT valued at $391 million)."
Virginia's Port Authority said Tuesday they were prepared to accept more ships previously destined for Baltimore. New Jersey and New York are also offering to help while operations at the Port of Baltimore remain suspended. Tradepoint Atlantic, a private port located within the Port of Baltimore, but outside of the Key Bridge, said they can handle some terminal traffic as well.
President Joe Biden on Tuesday said it was a priority to get the Port back up and running, but couldn't give an exact time frame.
On Thursday Maryland requested and was quickly granted an initial $60 million in emergency funding. Governor Wes Moore and Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott have each declared a State of Emergency.
Rebuild:
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said the original bridge took 5 years to complete. It’s unclear how long it will take to rebuild or how much it will cost.
President Joe Biden on Tuesday promised the federal government would pay the entire cost of bridge reconstruction.
SEE ALSO: KEY BRIDGE COLLAPSE IN PICTURES
