Ship that collided with Baltimore bridge was carrying dangerous chemicals | Accidents

The cargo ship responsible for the collapse of a bridge in Baltimore, United States, was carrying 56 containers with dangerous chemical materials, some of which fell into the water after the impact, investigators said.

The president of the US National Transportation Safety Board said the 56 containers contained 764 tons of corrosive and flammable materials, including lithium batteries.

Jennifer Homendy added, at a press conference, that some of the containers broke when they collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge on Tuesday and fell into the Patapsco River, in the state of Maryland, in the eastern United States.

Homendy said that the area is currently “dangerous” due to the amount of debris and bad weather, which has prevented teams of divers from checking the condition of the containers that fell from the Singapore-flagged ship MV Dali since 2016.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said the divers were “down there in the darkness where they can literally see about a foot in front of them,” and surrounded by mangled metal.

Jennifer Homendy predicted that the investigation into the accident and collapse of the infrastructure, which caused the death of six workers filling holes in the bridge, will take between one and two years.

US authorities on Wednesday recovered the bodies of two of the six workers presumed dead.

On Wednesday night, Singapore’s transport accident investigation agency announced, in a statement, the start of a second investigation into the ship, to “identify lessons to prevent future accidents and victims” and not pinpoint responsibility.

Hours earlier, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore had announced that it would also open its own investigation into the accident, in addition to promising to be in contact with the US Coast Guard to “provide the necessary assistance”.

This is despite the authority stressing that the ship had its documentation in order, with valid certificates covering “the structural integrity of the ship and the functionality of its equipment”, and that it passed two inspections in June and September.

Also on Wednesday, the U.S. Coast Guard said the Dali had undergone “routine engine maintenance” at the Port of Baltimore before the accident.

“As far as the engine goes, we have not been informed of any issues with the ship,” U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath said at a press conference.

Authorities also warned of the economic consequences of the collapse of the bridge, used by more than 11 million vehicles a year, and the blockage of the port of Baltimore, the ninth largest in the USA.