Criminal probe into Baltimore bridge crash
FBI agents search container ship for evidence crew were aware of problems
The FBI has opened a criminal investigation focusing on the massive container ship that brought down the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore in the US last month – a probe that will look at least in part at whether the crew left the port knowing the vessel had serious systems problems, according to US officials.
Authorities are reviewing the events leading up to the moment when the Dali, a 985-foot Singapore-flagged ship, lost power while leaving the Port of Baltimore and slammed into one of the bridge’s support pillars, said the officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing probe.
Yesterday, federal agents appeared to board the ship to conduct a search. After sunrise at 6.30am, a succession of three boats pulled to the port side of the Dali. At about 6.50 am, people wearing yellow or orange life jackets entered the Dali through a lower door and climbed a ladder to the ship’s bow.
Later, nearly a dozen more people wearing dark clothing pulled up in a smaller boat and climbed aboard.
The FBI confirmed in a statement that its agents were on the ship but said it did not have any additional public information and would not comment further.
US attorney for Maryland, Erek L Barron, said in a statement: “The public should know, whether it’s gun violence, civil rights abuse, financial fraud, or any other threat to public safety or property, we will seek accountability for anyone who may be responsible.”
The pre-dawn crash on March 26 crumpled the Key Bridge, where eight people were working to repair concrete and fill potholes. Six members of the repair crew fell into the water and died, officials said. Two survived.
The criminal investigation is separate from the probe the National Transportation Safety Board has launched to determine the cause of the crash and assess other safety-related measures.
President Biden and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore have both previously said that they intend to hold accountable any parties deemed potentially liable for the destruction of the bridge.
Baltimore mayor Brandon Scott announced a partnership with two law firms to “launch legal action to hold the wrongdoers responsible” and mitigate harm to city residents over the incident.
The container ship Dali left Baltimore’s port in the early hours of March 26, laden with cargo and headed for Sri Lanka, when it struck one of the bridge’s supporting columns, causing the span to collapse into the Patapsco River and sending six road workers plunging to their deaths.
Divers have recovered three bodies from the underwater wreckage, while the remaining three victims are still unaccounted for.
National Transportation Safety Board chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said last week investigators are focusing on the electrical power system of the massive container ship that veered off course. The ship experienced power issues moments before the crash, as evidenced in videos showing its lights going out and coming back on.
Ms Homendy said information gleaned from the vessel’s voyage data recorder is relatively basic, “so that information in the engine room will help us tremendously”. (© Washington Post)