Baltimore bridge collapse could disrupt travel and supply chain in Philly and along East Coast; at least 6 people missing after vessel strike

A cargo ship lost power and ran into a bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, causing the span to collapse into a river and prompting a search for survivors.

Officials said they were searching for at least six people who were on the Francis Scott Key Bridge when it was struck by the ship Tuesday morning. Two people were pulled from the water and one remains in the hospital, according to Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld.

The bridge collapse shut down ship traffic in the Port of Baltimore, a big commercial hub, threatening supply chain disruptions.

The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge could complicate personal travel and trucking in the Philadelphia region and beyond because of Baltimore’s central location on I-95, the East Coast’s major traffic corridor.

Just two tunnels remain for interstate traffic through Baltimore and it’s moat-like harbor to Chesapeake Bay and south, said Chenfeng Xiong, an assistant engineering professor at Villanova University specializing in transportation.

“They’ll be swamped,” Xiong said, speaking of the Fort McHenry Tunnel, which carries I-95 traffic, and the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel, which carries I-895 traffic. They can be clogged even in normal conditions.

The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and closure of the Port of Baltimore channel is expected to have a "major and protracted" impact on the country's supply chain, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told reporters Tuesday.

"This is no ordinary bridge. This is one of the cathedrals of American infrastructure," Buttigieg said. "The path to normalcy will not be easy. It will not be quick. It will not be inexpensive. But we will rebuild together."

Buttigieg added that it remains too early to project how long the process of clearing the channel and reopening the port will take. The Port of Baltimore, he said, handles the most vehicles of any port in the country, and also participates in a significant amount of shipping container traffic. 

Radio traffic obtained from the Broadcastify.com archive indicates officers were just about to alert a construction crew when a major bridge in Baltimore collapsed after being hit by a container ship that had lost power.

The Maryland Transportation Authority first responder radio traffic includes a dispatcher putting out a call saying a ship had lost its steering ability and asking officers to stop all traffic. It took officers less than two minutes to stop traffic on the bridge.

One officer who had stopped traffic radioed that he was going to drive onto the bridge to notify the construction crew once a second officer arrived. But seconds later, a frantic officer radioed that the bridge had collapsed.

Inspectors in June found a problem with the machinery of the ship that caused a major bridge to collapse in Baltimore early Tuesday.

But according to the shipping information system Equasis, a more recent examination of the ship, called the Dali, did not identify any deficiencies.

The Dali, owned by Grace Ocean PTE, has been inspected at least 27 times at ports around the world since it was built in 2015. An inspection at a port in Chile in June identified a problem with the ship’s “propulsion and auxiliary machinery,” according to Equasis, but the website’s online records didn’t elaborate.

The head of the logistics company that operates the Port of Philadelphia's biggest terminal said Tuesday he expects the container ship accident in Baltimore to have an impact on supply chains but expressed confidence that East Coast ports would be able to handle additional cargo.

"The supply chain will be taxed, we believe, in the weeks and months to come, but no more so than what we experienced in recent years and have demonstrated in terms of the North Atlantic ports as having an absolute resilience to challenges," said Leo Holt, president of Holt Logistics, which operates the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal in South Philadelphia.

Holt said he and the "entire port community" were "heartbroken by the events in Baltimore."

The federal government will pay for the cost of reconstructing the Francis Scott Key Bridge, President Joe Biden told reporters Tuesday.

"I've directed my team to move heaven and earth to reopen the port and rebuild the bridge as soon as humanly possible," Biden said. "And we're going to work hand-in-hand to support Maryland in whatever they ask for."

Biden added that he expects Congress to support his administration's efforts in financing the rebuilding process, but added that the process is "going to take some time."

Here is what Philadelphia-area travelers heading to or around Baltimore need to know about detours:

I-695, a beltway that encircles Baltimore and its near suburbs, is not available for crossing Baltimore Harbor because of the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge early Tuesday.

Maryland authorities advise that motorists can cross the harbor via the Fort McHenry Tunnel, which carries I-95 traffic, and the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel, which carries I-895 traffic under the Patapsco river a few miles above the closed bridge.

Vessel traffic into and out of Baltimore has been suspended, so container ships are likely to be diverted to other ports. It remains to be seen whether the Port of Philadelphia will see increased traffic.

A major trade hub, Baltimore's port handled almost 850,000 autos and light trucks in 2023, the most of any port in the country, according to Maryland state data. Other imports include sugar and coffee.

Baltimore-bound cargo ships are likely to be diverted to bigger container ports in New York, New Jersey, and Virginia, the Wall Street Journal reported. The Port of Philadelphia has almost doubled container volume in the last eight years but remains a smaller player in container shipping

It took five years to build the Francis Scott Key Bridge, from 1972 to 1977, and a few moments early Tuesday morning for the structure to collapse after a container ship hit one of its supports.

With a span of 1.6 miles, the bridge crossed the tidal portion of the Patpsco River, which forms Baltimore’s harbor. It stood 185 feet above the water and was the final link of I-695, also known as the Baltimore Beltway, a vital route for trucks carrying cargo along the East Coast.

The structure was a continuous truss bridge, a type that stretches over three or more supports without hinges or joints in the deck and road bed.

Cameras captured the moment a cargo ship struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore Tuesday morning, causing part of it to collapse into the Patapsco River.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore told reporters Tuesday morning the ship notified authorities it lost power while moving near the bridge. Its mayday call from the ship allowed officials to limit traffic on the bridge before the crash.

A preliminary investigation suggests that the crash was an accident, and that there’s no credible evidence of a terrorist attack, Moore, a Democrat, said at a news conference near the collapsed bridge.

There is no indication the ship collision into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore was an intentional act, according to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

In a statement Tuesday, Mayorkas said the federal government was aiding in the search for survivors and assessing the impact to the Port of Baltimore.

"We are closely monitoring the tragic situation unfolding as a result of a containership colliding with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore," Mayorkas wrote. "Our thoughts are with the families of the missing and injured."

During an appearance on CNN Tuesday morning, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said there were people working on the Francis Scott Key Bridge when it was struck by a cargo ship and collapsed.

"We have an unspeakable tragedy. We know that this vessel struck the bridge and the bridge collapsed," There were individuals working on the bridge at that time. There are cars in the water."

Scott said the city's fire department is leading an ongoing search and rescue mission, using sonar in the hopes of locating survivors.

A container ship rammed into a major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, causing it to snap in a few places and plunge into the river below. Several vehicles fell into the chilly waters, and rescuers were initially searching for at least seven people.

Two people were pulled from the waters under the Francis Scott Key Bridge, one in serious condition, according to Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace.

The cargo ship appears to have crashed into one of the bridge’s supports during the middle of night when traffic would be expected to be lighter, according to a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. The vessel caught fire, and thick, black smoke billowed out of it.

Synergy Marine Group — which owns and manages the ship called the “Dali” — confirmed the vessel hit a pillar of the bridge at about 1:30 a.m. while two pilots were in control. It said all crew members, including the pilots, were accounted for and there are no reports of any injuries.

From a vantage point near the entrance to the bridge, jagged remnants of its steel frame were visible protruding from the water, with the on-ramp ending abruptly where the span once began.

A vessel called Dali was headed from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka, as its final destination, according to Marine Traffic and Vessel Finder. The ship was flying under a Singapore flag, WTOP radio station reported, citing Petty Officer Matthew West from the Coast Guard in Baltimore.