Cargo pilot sought tugboat help before ploughing into US bridge

THE PILOT of the cargo freighter that knocked down a highway bridge into Baltimore Harbor had radioed for tugboat help and reported a power loss minutes earlier, federal safety officials said on Wednesday, citing audio from the ship’s “black box” data recorder.

The head of the National Transportation Safety Board also said that Francis Scott Key Bridge, a traffic artery over the harbor built in 1976, lacked structural engineering redundancies common to newer spans, making it more vulnerable to a collapse.

New insights into the fatal disaster emerged a day after the massive Singapore-flagged container ship Dali sailing out of Baltimore Harbor bound for Sri Lanka reported losing power and the ability to maneuver before plowing into a support pylon of the bridge.

Divers on Wednesday recovered the remains of two of the six workers missing since the crumbling bridge tossed them into the water, officials said. Four more workers who were part of a crew filling potholes on the bridge's road surface remained missing and presumed dead.

Officials begin interviewing crew

US authorities have begun interviewing personnel, including Indian crew members, onboard the 'Dali'.

Shipping company Synergy Group, which manages the Singapore-flagged 'DALI', said in a statement on Thursday that the US agency National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) boarded the vessel on Wednesday and collected documents, voyage data recorder extracts, and other evidence as part of their investigation.

“The NTSB also began interviewing crew members. we will continue to cooperate with investigators throughout this process ,” Synergy said.