Baltimore Key Bridge Collapses. (Oakland: shop, transportation, automobile)

[mic111]

Originally Posted by Cloudy Dayz

Livestream. You should be able to back the video up to the time the bridge collapsed.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83a7h3kkgPg

Thanks for posting this. You hold your breath watching the traffic go across while the ship gets closer.

Any local info on when the ship lost power? It looks like it is headed right to the support from fairly far out. I can't imagine they normally navigate close to the supports as a normal traffic path but perhaps they do.

[lubby]

this is terrible. Prayers to anyone who was hurt or killed.

[NJ2MDdude]

According to the linked photo below, the bridge piers weren't protected from collision.

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.2190...2048?entry=ttu

Was the ship to close to the bridge to drop the anchor?

[Cloudy Dayz]

Originally Posted by Veritas Vincit

There's some massive distribution centers near the harbor. If Baltimore is shut down that means there's gonna be a ton of delays on shipments for people in the Mid-Atlantic region. It's a big deal for the economy of this region.

I don't expect it will be shut down for long. As soon as the search and recovery is finished, they will start removing the debris and reopen the shipping channel.

The bridge on the other hand is another story. That is officially closed until the end of December. Realistically it will be another 3 to 5 years to rebuild it. Depending on if they just want to replace the missing spans, or replace the whole thing with a new bridge.

[Cloudy Dayz]

Originally Posted by NJ2MDdude

According to the linked photo below, the bridge piers weren't protected from collision.

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.2190...2048?entry=ttu

Was the ship to close to the bridge to drop the anchor?

After the Sunshine Skyway Bridge collapsed, they rebuilt it with concrete barriers to prevent ships from running into the bridge again. I think that is pretty standard with bridges nowadays. Unfortunately this bridge was built 3 years before that, so it didn't have that protection.

[Veritas Vincit]

Originally Posted by memph

Looks like tugboats were with the ship when it was leaving Point Breeze but then left the ship once it was on course towards the bridge.
https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/statu...99911973831054

Then the ship lost power and that caused the ship to drift off course and crash into the pillars.

It seems like the Port of Baltimore isn't huge huge for US container shipping (1.6%) so it shouldn't disrupt national supply chains too much but it will be rough for the local economy.
edit: but maybe I'm underestimating the local impacts. Baltimore is 1.6% of shipping volume, but maybe the shipping it does do is more essential? I'm not a logistics expert.

It's primarily a port of regional importance, but it is the closest port to the D.C. area and used by many businesses here. Redirecting shipments to other ports is possible but causes significant delays and added cost.

[Cloudy Dayz]

Originally Posted by mic111

Thanks for posting this. You hold your breath watching the traffic go across while the ship gets closer.

Any local info on when the ship lost power? It looks like it is headed right to the support from fairly far out. I can't imagine they normally navigate close to the supports as a normal traffic path but perhaps they do.

Well apparently they had enough time to send out a mayday to stop traffic onto the bridge. So it must have lost power for a bit before it hit the bridge.

[victimofGM]

Originally Posted by NJ2MDdude

According to the linked photo below, the bridge piers weren't protected from collision.

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.2190...2048?entry=ttu

Was the ship to close to the bridge to drop the anchor?

1. Cargo ships have a small crew in relation to their size. They may not have even been close enough to drop anchor in time.
2. Even if they did drop anchor, the forward momentum would cause the ship to swing around and either the side or rear would slam into the bridge. If the crew makes a mistake while dropping anchor or there’s a brake failure then the ship could entirely lose both the anchor and chain and continue moving forward anyway. Dropping anchor on a large ship is one of the most dangerous operations they carry out. Depending on the ship, one link of anchor chain can weigh 100 lbs (some more and some less). And yet when the anchor is dropped, if the brake fails or the brakeman doesn’t do his job right then that chain can fly like a bull whip in a thunderous roar.

[Boothwynman]

Originally Posted by memph

It seems like the Port of Baltimore isn't huge huge for US container shipping (1.6%) so it shouldn't disrupt national supply chains too much but it will be rough for the local economy.
edit: but maybe I'm underestimating the local impacts. Baltimore is 1.6% of shipping volume, but maybe the shipping it does do is more essential? I'm not a logistics expert.

Where did you get that 1.6 percent figure?

[gofunme]

Originally Posted by North Beach Person

Some of them. This one would have had a Maryland based pilot aboard.

That Pilot was able to alert the appropriate people to get traffic on the bridge stopped. While the Pilot is Captain in charge (and responsible) they are put in a tough situation when equipment onboard the ship they are piloting is faulty. Too bad ship design nowadays is such that when power is lost the rudder control is lost.