The NTSB revealed that the ship involved in the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore was transporting numerous hazardous material containers, some of which were damaged during the incident, as per an announcement on Wednesday.
NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy stated on Wednesday that the agency managed to acquire the cargo list of the vessel, named Dali, which was en route to Sri Lanka when it collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore overnight on Tuesday.
She mentioned that one of the NTSB senior hazardous materials investigators identified "56 containers of hazardous materials" on the 985-foot-long Dali.
“That’s 764 tons of hazardous materials — mostly corrosives, flammables and some miscellaneous hazardous materials, class nine hazardous materials which would include lithium-ion batteries,” indicated Homendy during a press conference on Wednesday. “Some of the hazardous material containers were breached.”
Homendy noted that investigators spotted a sheen on the waterway around the collapse, and federal, state, and local authorities are overseeing the addressing of those concerns. Sheen, which appears shiny or iridescent on the water’s surface, is sometimes caused by oil, gasoline or other petroleum products being dropped into water.
She stressed that NTSB’s responsibility is to investigate and gather perishable evidence of the incident and will not provide findings or conclusions while on scene.
A group of construction workers were on the span of the bridge fixing potholes when the crash occurred around 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday. Eight individuals were initially unaccounted for, two of which were rescued on Tuesday.
The bodies of two of the remaining six missing were recovered Wednesday, and four remain missing and are presumed dead.
Homendy mentioned that 21 crew members, along with two pilots, were aboard the ship during the incident. No deaths or serious injuries were reported among crew members.
Just before the crash, the Dali's operations issued a mayday call indicating that the vessel had lost power but was still heading towards the span at a “very, very rapid speed,” as communicated by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore on Tuesday. This warning enabled authorities to limit traffic on the bridge.
The ship is owned by Singapore-based Grace Ocean Private Ltd and was flying under a Singapore flag, according to The Associated Press, citing data from Marine Traffic.
The collapse has shut down the Port of Baltimore and officials have not released a timeline for when it could reopen. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Wednesday shared concerns about the local economic impact of the port’s closure, noting 8,000 jobs are directly associated with its activities, while more than $100 million in cargo moves through the port daily.
President Biden vowed to rebuild the bridge and said he expects the federal government to foot the bill with the support of Congress.
