Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapses (Hit by a ship)

[Elderberry]

Baltimore port bridge collapse: Global ocean carriers put U.S. companies on hook for urgent cargo pickup

CNBC by Lori Ann LaRocco 3/27/2024

Key Points

•   Some ocean carriers are invoking ‘force majeure’ as a result of the Port of Baltimore bridge collapse and telling shippers including U.S. retailers that once cargo is dropped at alternate ports, it’s no longer their responsibility.

•   Logistics companies tell CNBC the next 36 hours are critical in tracking the diverted trade and information is hard to get from container vessel companies, and could result in port penalties if they don’t pick up shipments quickly.

Ocean carriers are declaring “force majeure” due to the Baltimore port bridge crisis, telling logistics companies and U.S. shippers including retailers that once cargo is dropped off at alternate ports, it becomes their responsibility to pick up.

In an alert to customers Tuesday, CMA CGM wrote, “Those (containers) on the water will be discharged at an alternate port where they will be made available for pick-up, and CMA CGM’s bill of lading will terminate.”

It was the first ocean carrier to declare force majeure — the provision in a contract that frees parties from an obligation due to events beyond their control.

COSCO announced Wednesday morning that its services would “be concluded” once the diverted container arrives at the alternate port. Evergreen announced the same measure.

In contrast, Maersk is providing transport. “For cargo already on water, we will omit the port, and will discharge cargo set for Baltimore, in nearby ports. From these ports, it will be possible to utilize landside transportation to reach final destination instead,” Maersk said in an alert to customers. Though it noted that the situation remains fluid. “We are still working through the various contingencies with our customers and will continue to provide both specific and general customer advisories as the matter progresses,” it said.

More: https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/27/in-baltimore-bridge-crisis-shippers-left-on-hook-for-cargo-pickup.html

[mystery-ak]

How the Army Corps of Engineers plans to reopen the Port of Baltimore
By
Jamie McIntyre
March 28, 2024 7:06 am
.

RACE TO REOPEN, JOB ONE: CLEAR THE CHANNEL: The Port of Baltimore is one of the busiest on the East Coast, with between $100 million and $200 million in cargo moving through the port every day. There are 10 cargo ships trapped by the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on Wednesday and 8,000 dock and other workers idled representing about $2 million in wages. So the race is on to reopen the port to minimize disruption to global supply lines.

“No matter how quickly the channels can be reopened, we know that it can’t happen overnight. And so, we’re going to have to manage the impacts in the meantime,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said at a White House briefing. “It’s America’s largest vehicle-handling port, which is important not only for car imports and exports but also for farm equipment.”

The Coast Guard is the lead agency, but the literal heavy lifting falls to the Army Corps of Engineers. “We’re going to go about this in three steps. The first is to get the steel truss out of a 700-foot wide by 50-foot deep channel,” Lt. Gen. Scott Spellmon, commander and chief of engineers for the corps, told CNN. “Then we’re going to look at the bottom and see what concrete members are down below. When these ships come into Baltimore harbor, there’s anywhere between a foot and a foot and a half of clearance from the bottom. So any piece of concrete, any piece of steel on the bottom is just as much a hazard.

more
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/daily-on-defense/2942493/how-the-army-corps-of-engineers-plans-to-reopen-the-port-of-baltimore/

[GtHawk]

For what it is worth, Paranoia and conspiracy theory's strike deep. Into your life, it will creep.

NICE!

By the way thanks for the ear worm


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp5JCrSXkJY

[mystery-ak]

Mexico president says Baltimore bridge collapse shows migrants 'do not deserve to be treated as they are'
Alejandro Hernández Fuentes, from Mexico, is among bodies recovered from the water
 By Greg Norman Fox News
Published March 28, 2024 7:14am EDT

Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador says the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore shows that "migrants go out and do risky jobs at midnight" and as a result they "do not deserve to be treated as they are by certain insensitive, irresponsible politicians in the United States."

López Obrador made the remark as Maryland State Police identified one of the two bodies removed from the Patapsco River on Wednesday as 35-year-old Alejandro Hernández Fuentes, originally from Mexico.

"Based upon the conditions, we're now moving from a recovery mode to a salvage operation because of the superstructure surrounding what we believe are the vehicles and the amount of concrete and debris; divers are no longer able to safely navigate or operate around that in the areas around this wreckage," Col. Roland L. Butler Jr., superintendent of Maryland State Police, said during a press conference Wednesday night.

Guatemalan Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, was identified by Butler as the other body removed from the water. Divers had found a red pickup truck submerged under approximately 25 feet of water in the middle span of the bridge and discovered the two bodies trapped inside.

more
https://www.foxnews.com/us/mexico-president-baltimore-bridge-collapse-shows-migrants-do-not-deserve-treated

[GtHawk]

Mexico president says Baltimore bridge collapse shows migrants 'do not deserve to be treated as they are'
Alejandro Hernández Fuentes, from Mexico, is among bodies recovered from the water
 By Greg Norman Fox News
Published March 28, 2024 7:14am EDT

Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador says the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore shows that "migrants go out and do risky jobs at midnight" and as a result they "do not deserve to be treated as they are by certain insensitive, irresponsible politicians in the United States."

López Obrador made the remark as Maryland State Police identified one of the two bodies removed from the Patapsco River on Wednesday as 35-year-old Alejandro Hernández Fuentes, originally from Mexico.

"Based upon the conditions, we're now moving from a recovery mode to a salvage operation because of the superstructure surrounding what we believe are the vehicles and the amount of concrete and debris; divers are no longer able to safely navigate or operate around that in the areas around this wreckage," Col. Roland L. Butler Jr., superintendent of Maryland State Police, said during a press conference Wednesday night.

Guatemalan Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, was identified by Butler as the other body removed from the water. Divers had found a red pickup truck submerged under approximately 25 feet of water in the middle span of the bridge and discovered the two bodies trapped inside.

more
https://www.foxnews.com/us/mexico-president-baltimore-bridge-collapse-shows-migrants-do-not-deserve-treated

To quote a certain forum member, "ESAD" Obrador! As if AMERICANS of all races and backgrounds don't do potentially dangerous jobs at every hour of the day in all sorts of situations. I would really want to know why this ignoramus, illegal invasion enabler thinks that mixing and pouring concrete on a bridge at night is especially dangerous, outside of a freak occurrence like this that is. Personally I have done what would be considered dangerous jobs, like others here and I'm just a plain vanilla White boy not one of the exalted races or illegal alien exalted races.

I wonder if Obrador gets a bonus from the cartels when he puts out bullshit like this?

[Wingnut]

Proof of Joe's claim about his travel on the F.S. Key bridge

[Lando Lincoln]

Proof of Joe's claim about his travel on the F.S. Key bridge

He blew the train whistle many times going across that bridge!

[rustynail]

It would be an insult to all Newcomers to not name the new span The Alejandro Hernández Fuentes Memorial Bridge.

[Polly Ticks]

Perhaps the Governor of Maryland should consult with Governor DeSantis.  He had a bridge built in three days.

[Elderberry]

"Yea. All bridges are alike.∼”

[Timber Rattler]

Recovered data recorder from crashed ship in Baltimore reveals pilot called for tugboat help minutes before plowing into bridge

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/recovered-data-recorder-from-crashed-ship-in-baltimore-reveals-pilot-called-for-tugboat-help-minutes-before-plowing-into-bridge/ar-BB1kFfb9

The pilot of the cargo ship that knocked down a highway bridge into Baltimore Harbor had radioed for tugboat help and reported a power loss minutes earlier, federal safety officials say, citing new data from the freight's recorder.

The head of the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Jennifer Homendy, also said the Francis Scott Key Bridge lacked structural engineering redundancies common to newer spans, making it more vulnerable to a catastrophic collapse.

New insights into the fatal disaster emerged a day after the massive Singapore-flagged container ship Dali sailed out of Baltimore Harbour, before reporting loss of power and then crashing into a support pylon of the bridge.

The impact brought most of the bridge tumbling into the mouth of the Patapsco River within seconds, blocking shipping lanes and forcing the indefinite closure of the Port of Baltimore, one of the busiest on the US Eastern Seaboard.

Divers on Thursday recovered the remains of two of the six workers missing since the crumbling bridge tossed them into the water, officials said.

EXCERPT

[Elderberry]

"EXCERPT" of What?

Where's the link?

[mystery-ak]

Video: Cargo ship that caused Baltimore bridge collapse crashed at Antwerp port in 2016


The Singaporean-flagged cargo ship, the Dali, that caused the Francis Scott Key Bridge to collapse this week was involved in another crash less than a decade ago.

Video obtained by Reuters shows the Dali scraping against a quay in Antwerp, Belgium in 2016. The vessel was built a year earlier.

Per VesselFinder, which tracks ships around the world, an investigation into the 2016 incident determined that the ship’s master and pilot were to blame. There were no injuries or water pollution reported in the incident.

It was unclear what crew were aboard the Dali in the 2016 incident.

As for the Baltimore bridge collapse crash, Synergy Marine Group, which manages the Dali, said the ship’s captain and crew are all Indian. There were two harbors pilots – both U.S. citizens – who were guiding the Dali out of the port at the time of the collision.The U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday that the ship underwent “routine engine maintenance” in the port before it lost power.

An inspection of the Dali last June at a port in Chile identified a problem with the ship’s “propulsion and auxiliary machinery,” according to Equasis, a shipping information system. The deficiency involved gauges and thermometers, but the website’s online records didn’t elaborate.

A “standard examination” conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard in New York in September didn’t identify any deficiencies, according to the Equasis data.
Posted by Bradford Betz

[mystery-ak]

The Biden administration on Thursday announced $60 million for emergency aid to help fast-track recovery efforts in the wake of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore.

The federal aid will help pay for debris removal and other initial costs. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s administration made the request earlier Thursday, as he warned of a “very long road ahead.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) approved the funds within hours, saying they would serve as a down payment toward initial costs. Additional Emergency Relief program funding will be made available as the work continues.

“No one will ever forget the shocking images of a container vessel striking the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing its collapse and the tragic loss of six people,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement.

“The federal emergency funds we’re releasing today will help Maryland begin urgent work, to be followed by further resources as recovery and rebuilding efforts progress. President Biden has been clear: the federal government will do everything it takes to help rebuild the bridge and get the Port of Baltimore back open.” 
Posted by Bradford Betz

[GtHawk]

The Biden administration on Thursday announced $60 million for emergency aid to help fast-track recovery efforts in the wake of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore.

The federal aid will help pay for debris removal and other initial costs. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s administration made the request earlier Thursday, as he warned of a “very long road ahead.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) approved the funds within hours, saying they would serve as a down payment toward initial costs. Additional Emergency Relief program funding will be made available as the work continues.

“No one will ever forget the shocking images of a container vessel striking the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing its collapse and the tragic loss of six people,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement.

“The federal emergency funds we’re releasing today will help Maryland begin urgent work, to be followed by further resources as recovery and rebuilding efforts progress. President Biden has been clear: the federal government will do everything it takes to help rebuild the bridge and get the Port of Baltimore back open.” 
Posted by Bradford Betz

“No one will ever forget the shocking images of a container vessel striking the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing its collapse and the tragic loss of six people,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement.

Bullshit hyperbole little petey, and as proof I give you 9/11, the Twin Towers, and the Pentagon.

“The federal emergency funds we’re releasing today will help Maryland begin urgent work, to be followed by further resources as recovery and rebuilding efforts progress. President Biden has been clear: the federal government will do everything it takes to help rebuild the bridge and get the Port of Baltimore back open.”

The emergency funds you are releasing to today will more likely line the pockets of politicly connected democrats and their contributors than go to any urgent work.

[mountaineer]

“No one will ever forget the shocking images of a container vessel striking the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing its collapse and the tragic loss of six people,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement.

Your president will forget those images, Buttjigger, because he doesn't remember much of anything.

[Elderberry]

Battle heats up over proposed federal funding for Baltimore bridge

KHON2 by Mychael Schnell, Mike Lillis, and The Hill 3/28/2024

The battle over Congress’s role in repairing a landmark bridge in Baltimore is already heating up on Capitol Hill, just days after it collapsed.

President Biden vowed Tuesday that the federal government would cover the massive cost of rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge, a major artery feeding the Port of Baltimore, one of the busiest shipping lanes in the country. The bridge was struck by a cargo ship, almost 1,000 feet long, that lost power as it was leaving Baltimore Harbor and drifted into a support pile in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Biden’s proposal is already winning praise from a number of Democrats, especially those in Maryland, who say the port’s value transcends the state, making the repairs an issue of national importance.

Only the federal government, they argue, has the resources to accomplish the task.

Yet the idea has sparked an immediate backlash from conservative spending hawks, who are already up in arms over Congress’s recent approval of a massive 2024 spending package and maintain that Washington simply can’t afford to pile more money onto the national debt.

Key Bridge, they argue, is a regional matter to be tackled by regional governments.

“The very thought of having the Federal Government pay for the Baltimore bridge is TOTALLY ABSURD!!” Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) told The Hill by text message. “This exemplifies the old slogan ‘ROBBING PETER TO PAY PAUL!!’”

Republicans are not the only critics. Some liberals are also questioning Biden’s proposal, arguing that the blame for the tragedy lies, at least in part, with the owner of the cargo vessel, which should bear some portion of the repair costs.

“Let’s be clear about the tragedy in Baltimore. That bridge didn’t just collapse. There was no earthquake. The bridge was knocked down (apparently) by a private ship that lost control. Shouldn’t they be at least partly responsible for fixing it?” said Jamal Simmons, a Democratic strategist and Vice President Harris’s former communications director.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Wednesday on MSNBC that she expected insurance payments to cover part of the cost to rebuild the bridge.

More: https://www.khon2.com/hill-politics/battle-heats-up-over-proposed-federal-funding-for-baltimore-bridge/amp/

[Elderberry]

The Obscure Protectionist Law That Will Slow Clean-up of the Baltimore Bridge Disaster

Reason by  Eric Boehm 3/27/2024
The best time to repeal the Foreign Dredge Act was before the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed. The next best time to repeal it is right now.

The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge figures to snarl traffic around Baltimore, but the bigger problem might be the downed bridge's effect on maritime activity.

Until the bridge's wreckage can be cleared away, the Port of Baltimore is cut off from the Chesapeake Bay, the Atlantic Ocean, and the global supply chains beyond. It remains unclear how long the port will be closed, but federal Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Wednesday that there could be a "long and difficult path" ahead.

In the meantime, trade flowing through the port will have to be redirected to other ports along the East Coast. That's a disruption that could mean higher costs and other complications—and it is a particularly acute issue for the roughly 15,000 workers who earn a living off the commerce that passes through Baltimore's port.

Clearly, there's every reason to make sure the port can be reopened as quickly as possible. Buttigieg acknowledged as much on Wednesday, and said the White House had given a "clear directive" to "tear down any barriers, bureaucratic as well as financial."

But Buttigieg stopped short of naming any specific federal regulations that might be waived to speed along the recovery efforts in Baltimore. Here's one that should go right to the top of the list: The Foreign Dredge Act of 1906.

More: https://reason.com/2024/03/27/the-obscure-protectionist-law-that-will-slow-clean-up-of-the-baltimore-bridge-disaster/

[NavyCanDo]

Recovered data recorder from crashed ship in Baltimore reveals pilot called for tugboat help minutes before plowing into bridge

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/recovered-data-recorder-from-crashed-ship-in-baltimore-reveals-pilot-called-for-tugboat-help-minutes-before-plowing-into-bridge/ar-BB1kFfb9

EXCERPT

That's not going to convince the QAnon deciples with their tin foil hats convinced this was either terrorism or a false flag.

[Smokin Joe]

That's not going to convince the QAnon deciples with their tin foil hats convinced this was either terrorism or a false flag.

Since the crew is from India, I'm surprised they haven't headlined with

 "Indians attacking Baltimore!"

It has been a while...

[mountaineer]

That's not going to convince the QAnon deciples with their tin foil hats convinced this was either terrorism or a false flag.

Sad to say, no number of facts can dissuade the Qnuts from the latest conspiracy.

[Timber Rattler]

That's not going to convince the QAnon deciples with their tin foil hats convinced this was either terrorism or a false flag.

They're just as bad as the 9/11 "Truthers."  Our entire existence is just one, big conspiracy!

[Timber Rattler]

The Obscure Protectionist Law That Will Slow Clean-up of the Baltimore Bridge Disaster

That article is somewhat dishonest, and has an agenda behind it.  While its true that the Foreign Dredge Act of 1906 (Teddy Roosevelt's Administration), as well as the Jones Act (Woodrow Wilson's Administration, post World War 1) are protectionist, they are also NATIONAL SECURITY laws that ensure that the U.S. actually does have a viable Merchant Marine fleet while keeping potential and real foreign adversaries (like Russi and China) out of our intercoastal trade, harbors, and waterways.  They do serve a very good and very real purpose in protecting America's maritime and marine assets.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_Dredge_Act_of_1906

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merchant_Marine_Act_of_1920

[mountaineer]

Baltimore Bridge Collapse Will Impact EV Imports And Exports
 by Chris Randall   
Mar 27, 2024

On Tuesday, a supporting pillar of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which crosses the harbor of Baltimore, was rammed by a cargo ship. As a result, parts of the bridge collapsed a few moments later. Six construction workers who were working on the bridge at the time are still missing. [emphasis, links added]

With the collapsed bridge and ongoing work, parts of the harbor are currently inaccessible. Baltimore is considered the most important import harbor in the USA, especially for vehicles.

Numerous car manufacturers handle their imports via two terminals, including Mercedes, BMW, and Volkswagen. However, the Dundalk terminal, which VW and BMW use, is located in front of the bridge and is therefore still accessible.

However, [the Fairfield terminal used by Mercedes-Benz, for example, is located behind the bridge and is currently inaccessible from the sea].

As the German publication WirtschaftsWoche speculates, access is likely to be blocked “for weeks”. ...

Climate Change Dispatch

[rangerrebew]

Navy to aid Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse recovery
By Geoff Ziezulewicz
 Mar 29, 04:27 PM
 
The Navy is contracting out multiple barges to Baltimore Harbor to help with clearing and reopening of the channel after a tanker struck a pillar of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing it to collapse early Tuesday.

Naval Sea Systems Command has contracted a variety of vessels to help with the job supporting the Coast Guard’s unified recovery effort.


The Navy’s Supervisor of Salvage and Diving will use the barges to surface and remove portions of the bridge.

Sections will first be disassembled before they are lifted onto the barges and transported away, the Navy said.

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-navy/2024/03/29/navy-to-aid-baltimores-francis-scott-key-bridge-collapse-recovery/