Video: Key Bridge in Maryland collapses after being struck by container ship

I was just looking at the new overhead rail support column today where the weight is supported on the arm and not bearing the weight directly on the column. If that concrete arm cracks and breaks, it's fooked. At least two back to back columns are like that so they don't interfere with the roadway.
 
Cant believe that was allowed to happen. I wonder who's at fault and how central that bridge is to traffic / general running of the harbour area.

This is going to be extremely expensive in more ways than one.
 
Damn, that's gonna be a rough commute for people that work in the DC area, but live northeast of Dundalk.
 
As someone who steers similar ships and who has some knowledge about ship navigation in inland waterways I can say it's most likely mechanical error leading to an inability to navigate. It's possible it's user error but a ship in any inland waterway has a "pilot" on watch on the "bridge" who's either a permanent crew member or more than likely in this case, is a member of the pilots association and is a "local" who by the nature of their job is very familiar with that specific waterway.

International, "deep sea" vessels have a pilot, a captain, a mate, and multiple "watchmen/ab's" on watch in the pilot house observing and acting to make sure the ship navigates safely, not to mention multiple crew members monitoring systems from below the decks in the "engine control room"...

This is really dark...

*Edit: they were going 8kts when they hit the bridge, and apparently had an explosion on board which cut their power twice. Without power a ship can't steer. These ships also have crew standing by the anchors for emergencies but anchors don't work when moving that fast...
 
Last edited:
badascan said:
As someone who steers similar ships and who has some knowledge about ship navigation in inland waterways I can say it's most likely mechanical error leading to an inability to navigate. It's possible it's user error but a ship in any inland waterway has a "pilot" on watch on the "bridge" who's either a permanent crew member or more than likely in this case, is a member of the pilots association and is a "local" who by the nature of their job is very familiar with that specific waterway.

International, "deep sea" vessels have a pilot, a captain, a mate, and multiple "watchmen/ab's" on watch in the pilot house observing and acting to make sure the ship navigates safely, not to mention multiple crew members monitoring systems from below the decks in the "engine control room"...

This is really dark...
Click to expand...
That makes sense--the inability to steer for mechanical reasons. The news was talking about how poor visibility might have been a factor but from the footage we have it looks like a pretty clear night.
 
badascan said:
As someone who steers similar ships and who has some knowledge about ship navigation in inland waterways I can say it's most likely mechanical error leading to an inability to navigate. It's possible it's user error but a ship in any inland waterway has a "pilot" on watch on the "bridge" who's either a permanent crew member or more than likely in this case, is a member of the pilots association and is a "local" who by the nature of their job is very familiar with that specific waterway.

International, "deep sea" vessels have a pilot, a captain, a mate, and multiple "watchmen/ab's" on watch in the pilot house observing and acting to make sure the ship navigates safely, not to mention multiple crew members monitoring systems from below the decks in the "engine control room"...

This is really dark...

*Edit: they were going 8kts when they hit the bridge, and apparently had an explosion on board which cut their power twice. Without power a ship can't steer. These ships also have crew standing by the anchors for emergencies but anchors don't work when moving that fast...
Click to expand...

Exactly...

If you watch the video you can see where it appears that they lose power at least twice before the collision. I would venture to bet that aft propulsion and steering was also lost as well, helping to contribute to this tragedy.

Fuck man... Seeing shit like this brings back some pretty shitty memories. My own ship had a collision in 1999 and it was a harrowing experience.
The ONLY time I have ever heard the triplet chirp of the collision alarm outside of daily testing...

Still fucks with me to this day
 
Joe Mama said:
Exactly...

If you watch the video you can see where it appears that they lose power at least twice before the collision. I would venture to bet that aft propulsion and steering was also lost as well, helping to contribute to this tragedy.

Fuck man... Seeing shit like this brings back some pretty shitty memories. My own ship had a collision in 1999 and it was a harrowing experience.
The ONLY time I have ever heard the triplet chirp of the collision alarm outside of daily testing...

Still fucks with me to this day
Click to expand...
I was at the wheel last year when my ship lost power and I had no ability to prevent it from running aground. Fortunately we landed in a "best case scenario" type of spot and did no damage to the ship or anything else. It's very traumatic... I'm with you... I feel for the crew of this vessel and everyone affected.
 
Bwagster said:
I go across that bridge every week. Unbelievable!
Click to expand...

Is this a major bridge in the area of a secondary bridge?
It's obviously a tragedy for all the lives lost but I'm wondering how badly it's gonna interrupt life in the area for the next few years, will it be a minor inconvenience not to have that route available or is it gonna cause a complete disruption of lives and traffic nightmares everywhere
 
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