Electrical failure on a container ship sent it on a collision course with the bridge, causing its collapse.
Container ship laying under debris of the Francis Scott Key Bridge
Six people were killed int he collapse
US investigators on Tuesday concluded their probe of the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge last year, where six construction workers were killed. The bridge collapse took place after it was struck by a malfunctioning container ship that had lost course.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the probe found “probable cause” that disaster was caused by the ship’s loss of electrical power, due to a loose signal wire connection.
The Singapore-flagged container ship, dubbed Dali, crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge over the Patapsco River in Maryland on March 26, 2024, while six construction workers were on the bridge. The workers did not recieve advanced warning of the ship’s electrical failure and the impending collision.
What happened to the ship?
The NTSB found that the loosening of an electrical wire was the reason why the ship experienced the two catastrophic blackouts and subsequent loss of propulsion and steering.
The electrical wire came loose due to a design flaw in the specific wire metal sleeve that was meant to ensure the wire’s insertion into the electrical terminal. An NTSB video animation, posted on the agency’s X account, showed how the wire’s labeling band overtook the metal sleeve, preventing the wire from fully connecting and eventually causing it to disconnect
