The Baltimore Bridge Collision

The expert: The inability to act in time stands out

The human factor may have played a decisive role when the freighter Dali rammed the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. This is reported by TT.

- What stands out is the inability to act in time, says maritime safety professor Dimitrios Dalaklis.

Several circumstances surrounding the shipwreck in Baltimore are beginning to become clear. The ship suffered a total power failure before the collision with the engine stopping as a result. Black smoke was billowing from the ship, which may indicate that a diesel engine was started to get backup power going.

Normally, however, diesel generators must be running in the port precisely to avoid blackouts. The fact that the ship continued at normal speed straight towards the bridge is an indicator that someone is not following standard measures, says Dalaklis.

..................................................

Analysis: State of bridges 'huge headache' for US

The accident at the Francis Scott Key bridge has shed light on the state of American bridges, writes Oliver Milman in an analysis in the Guardian.

The bridge in Baltimore met all criteria according to Gov. Wes Moore. However, experts tell the Guardian that the bridge, which was built in 1977, was not designed to withstand a head-on collision by such a large boat. The bridge also does not seem to have had extra protection at the foundations. Cargo ships have increased their capacity by over 50 percent in just the past decade, increasing the risks of accidents.

In addition to the risks with larger cargo ships, the bridge accident brings to the fore the issue of aging American infrastructure. Bridges throughout the United States need both extensive maintenance work and modern protections such as sensors that communicate directly with ships.

In an analysis in the Washington Post, Philip Bump also writes that the bridge accident focuses on aging infrastructure and specifically bridges in the United States. One problem is that in a large country like the United States, there are simply too many bridges. "Entropy, a natural progression towards decay, is a huge headache for a country of our size," writes Bump.