March 26th was a night depicted by loss and tragedy in Baltimore. Around 1:30 A.M, a massive cargo ship under the name of “Dali” was making a routine pass through the Port of Baltimore. Suddenly, the 95,000 ton carrier lost control and collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The crew onboard of the Dali were able to make an urgent mayday call, thereby closing access to the bridge saving the lives of many.
Unfortunately amidst the collision, there were still six construction workers operating on the bridge. The six men who lost their lives that day include; Jose Mynor Lopez, Carlos Hernandez, Dorlian Castillo Cabrera, Miguel Luna, Maynor Yassir, Suazo Sandoval, and Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes.
Many question how something like this could happen. After all, Baltimore’s port is known to be one of the busiest on the east coast, yet since the port’s opening in 1706, a disaster of this severity has never occurred. According to CNN, The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board launched an investigation into the accident to discover its cause. In a recent press conference, NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy indicated it may take between 12 to 24 months for the investigation to be fully complete.
As of now the only answers being provided are that the ship somehow lost power that night while transitioning, causing the crew to lose control of the steering. Sophomore Ryan Cortina expresses, “As someone with family in Baltimore this is pretty scary. It’s unsettling to know they are always around that area, and they could’ve easily been on the bridge.”
This is also an incredibly expensive mistake, not only in the price of lives lost, but in the price of economic health. The wreckage closed the Port of Baltimore, potentially costing the area’s economy hundreds millions of dollars in lost labor income alone over the next month. According to Abc 7 news, “A report from credit rating agency Morningstar DBRS predicts the collapse could become the most expensive marine insured loss in history, surpassing the record of about $1.5 billion held by the 2012 shipwreck of the Costa Concordia cruise ship off Italy. Morningstar DBRS estimates total insured losses for the Baltimore disaster could be anywhere from $2 billion to $4 billion.”
Many questions still remain unanswered. Was anyone else partly responsible? Who’s financially on the hook for all of this? How much will it cost to replace the bridge and make amends with the victims’ families? All problems that are currently in search of an answer. Although this event may be tragic, the proficient and successful stop in oncoming cars saved the lives of hundreds that day. This unfortunate circumstance had the potential to turn a lot worse.
