According to United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chair, Jennifer Homendy, investigators have boarded the ship that crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge and recovered its data recorder.
Homendy disclosed that the recorder would be analysed, and the agency would also examine whether dirty fuel contributed to the ship’s power loss as part of its investigation.
Moments before the crash, the ship issued a Mayday call warning that it had lost power, prompting authorities to scramble to shut down traffic to the bridge.
The Maryland Transportation Authority released the dispatch audio of officers trying to stop traffic after the pilot of the Dali vessel warned the ship was approaching the bridge.
In the audio, first responders can be heard saying that traffic had to be stopped until the pilot could regain control of the vessel and asking if there were any crew working on the bridge.
“If we can stop traffic, just make sure no one’s on the bridge. Right now, I’m not sure where there’s a crew up there. You might want to notify whoever the foreman is to see if we can get them off the bridge temporarily,” one official said.
A few seconds later, an official announces that the bridge has collapsed.
Meanwhile, the city of Baltimore remains in a state of emergency as rescue efforts continue for the six missing construction workers.
Baltimore Mayor, Brandon Scott stated, “We will have that for the foreseeable future.”
“This is an unthinkable tragedy that impacts our city and our community and our state in so many different and ways,” he added.
He acknowledged the work ahead to reopen the port of Baltimore, but stressed that his concentration remains on the recovery efforts.
“We’re all, right now, still focused on recovery. That’s what we’re talking about today – recovering those who we lost,” he noted.
Also on Wednesday, Governor of Maryland, Wes Moore, revealed that he was able to spend time with the family members of the construction workers who were on the bridge at the time of the collapse.
Speaking to a news agency, Moore said that he made a commitment to those families that “we would put every possible resource” towards the mission.
“Now that we’ve transitioned to a recovery mission, I’m going to make sure that we’re going to put every possible resource to bring a sense of closure to these families,” he asserted.
He also paid tribute to the first responders who saved “countless” lives by getting cars off the bridge, adding that he was “incredibly thankful” for their work.
Economic Consequences To Exceed Maryland
Maryland Governor, Wes Moore said that the economic consequences of the bridge collapse “cannot be overstated and not just for the state of Maryland.”
“We’re talking about what this means for the entire country. We’re talking about a port that brings on more cars more light trucks, more agricultural equipment than any other port in this country. So this is not just going to impact Maryland. We’re talking about farmers in Kentucky. We’re talking about auto dealers in Michigan.”
Wes Moore
Meanwhile, economists and logistics experts claim that the bridge collapse is unlikely to trigger a major new U.S supply chain crisis or spike goods prices.
As East Coast ports have invested billions of dollars over the past decade to expand capacity, Baltimore’s temporary closure may add time and cost for some companies, but will not have a significant macroeconomic impact.
Ryan Sweet, Chief U.S Economist at Oxford Economics, said, “The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland is another reminder of the US vulnerability to supply-chain shocks, but this event will have greater economic implications for the Baltimore economy than nationally.”
“We don’t anticipate that the disruptions to trade or transportation will be visible in US GDP, and the implications for inflation are minimal,” he added.
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