A near perfect example of projection.

Your question will likely trigger some on here with less open minds but, I like exploring possibilities. There have been many unusual instances in the last few years.

Like the two trucks that just happened to collide on the I-75 bridge that connects KY to OH in Nov 2020. (Btw, I-75 is THE major transport corridor from FL to MI). One had flammable contents so a big fire occurred. Bridge was closed for 6 weeks! All traffic was re-routed onto the loop highway around Cincinnati and was a massive mess all that time.

Then, there was the very unusual instance of that barge that supposedly got stuck in the Suez Canal for 6 days in March 2021, which is another very major transport route. Both instances occurring when we were basically promised 'supply chain shortages' because of the pandemic. I find coincidences interesting.

This bridge collapse? I have no idea why that ship had serious problems and hit that bridge support. But, it's another interesting coincidence given there was a dramatic and unusual terrorist event in Russia recently. I do hope no one is naive enough to think that Vlad would just take that on the chin. So, possible payback? Don't know but, far crazier things have happened in this world.

Curious why tugboats weren’t standard procedure at least past that point.

Good Point. They probably will be required after the bridge is reopen.

A ship with its own propulsion does not need a tugboat to navigate. Tugboats move barges and help ships into and out of docks.

SO totally agree. Why are the US taxpayers always on the hook??? Not one leader has said if the owners of the cargo ship are culpable…. Not one.

Good leaders do not shoot their mouths off and make such statements before the experts complete their investigation.

The owners of the ship likely had no idea where the ship was at the time and certainly were not in control of the engines or the steering. Culpability should require some evidence that they were somehow involved beyond simple financing the ship. Depending on the terms of the lease agreement, they might not even be financially responsible. THAT is why a good leader would wait for the results of the investigation before laying blame.

Once it has been rebuilt, I doubt they will go back to status quo since one damaged pier on a truss bridge can bring it all down.

The only options I can think of is either build barriers to protect the piers or use tugs.

From an article posted today.
Could Key Bridge crash have been avoided if Dali had tugboat guides? - The Baltimore Banner

Another half hour paying for tugs would have been much less expensive than crashing the ship into a bridge pier.

It will be rebuilt in the same way that the Sunshine skyway bridge was built after it was hit by a ship here in Florida.

Pilots
 

I wonder if the pilots,from the port were too hesitant to deploy the anchors?

Regardless, the bridge brings in hefty revenue with its toll charges, so it should be rebuilt soon enough. Maryland makes good money off the bridge, if only they spent that money on maintenance,

I'm posting out of the same ignorance as everyone else, offering another "maybe this is what's happening" perception:

Maybe...
the Fed will make immediate funds available for immediate reconstruction of the bridge.

AND the Fed will be doing the investigation to see who is actually legally responsible for refunding the Fed that money.

BECAUSE investigating it first, then going after insurance companies, and courts, and appeals, and so on and so forth means delays in getting it rebuilt.

BUT they want it rebuilt ASAP, and want to cut through all that red tape. They expect to be recompensated, but the funding has to be made immediately available, FIRST.

That's my thoughts on the whys and wherefores.

BS.

I have no knowledge of issues like the bridge collapse, however a question for those that have some experience in something like this. I assume the ship is now secured in place. It seems, again with no real knowledge of things like this, but it would seem teams could come in and fish out the broken bridge and open up the ship channel allowing ship traffic to resume rather quickly, maybe even in a few weeks? Rebuilding is another issue, but then again red tape may be an issue, any thoughts?

Somewhat agree. They may be able to open the shipping lanes, it they are able to move rapidly. However, if the ships need trucks to either move the cargo on elsewhere, or to load up the ships, then losing a major interstate highway might add a substantial load to the existing highways.

Sorry but a good point was made here.

Having a tug could likely have prevented this problem or at least have limited the damage. It might not stop a container ship but could likely have deflected it enough.

Make the container companies pay for the cost for escort beyond infrastructure or have them ready around infrastructure.

We can not assess the viabilty of every ship coming into this country as most are registered to countries with no responsibility.

Good point.
How the Skyway Bridge was rebuilt after the deadly 1980 collapse | wtsp.com
I suspect that the total economic cost of this bridge collapse is many magnitudes higher than than that of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. There no doubt will be major changes in construction and policies.
barrons.com.
The port will reopen much sooner than when the bridge has been placed back in service.
The economic costs of the Key Bridge collapse - Oxford Economics

Cost and Time
 

If the bridge is rebuilt it could cost up to 350 million dollars.

Your browser is not supported | usatoday.com

First you will have those that will want to redesign the whole thing etc. Everyone will have a better idea. Then the politicians will take their pokes at it which can be a very scary thing financially. Finally, engineers and contractors will get together for the boots on the ground rebuild. Does anyone really see this getting done in less than 4 years time? The new, improved, more costly bridge is gonna take a while.

What type of redesign do you think? Can they change it to something other than a truss bridge? They'll probably go the quickest route.

Cantilever? Or new pile design which should have been done before the accident? The ships of today need to be taken into account. We don’t want repetition of the accident.

I agree that the most time-consuming part may be the politics. But it doesn't have to be. I recall the I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis. There was a lot of pressure applied by the companies and people whose livelihoods depended on that bridge: there were other routes but like is most likely the case in Baltimore those "other routes" were lengthier and far more time-consuming. To their credit the powers-that-be in Minnesota shelved the politics in large part, got the design approved and contractors contracted, and the new bridge was completed in 14 1/2 months: date of collapse August 1, 2007, date of completion September 18, 2007--three months ahead of schedule and at $234 million, under budget.

Granted, not quite the same scenario or bridge, but it DOES show what can be accomplished if politics and profiteering are, as much as possible anyway, avoided.

The bridge was in service since 1977. Do you know if there were any previous hits or near misses?

Changes
 

Container ships of course have gone up roughly 600% in volume since the 70s. 2-3000 TCUs to some now at 18,000 TCUs. Perhaps the most negligent would be the state who never addressed the increased threat? Plenty of toll cash came in for tolls, but there was always tomorrow.

“Laying blame”???? So our bridge caused the issue…. It was their ship and their accountability. At the very least, mention that the ships owners will be accountable. As well as Our Taxpayers….

Exactly the problem I mentioned. Why are the ship's owners responsible? What did the ship's owners do that contributed to the collision? The answer is we don't know at this point.

I see it as similar to renting a car from Hertz. If I am driving that car and have a collision, what responsibility do the owner's of Hertz have for the damages that were caused?

- If the law requires Hertz to carry insurance that covers their vehicle even when being operated by another then fine, they have some financial responsibility.

- If Hertz is responsible for maintenance of the vehicle but failed in that responsibility and if that failure contributed to the collision then they may have some financial responsibility.

- If the contract between Hertz and me clearly states that they are providing the vehicle but I am responsible for its proper operation then they would have no financial responsibility.

So what was the agreement between the ship's owner and Maersk? Who was responsible for maintenance of the ship? What was the cause of the loss of power and propulsion in the ship? The answer to those questions will determine who is responsible. We won't know the answers until the investigations are complete. Laying blame at this point is premature and jumping to conclusions. It is wrong to criticize leaders for being thorough and not jumping to conclusions.

Is it the ships owner, or the maker of the engines in the ship? Is it the city of Baltimore and their pilots who didn’t drop anchor? Is it the state of Maryland who owned the bridge and collected excessive tolls and didn’t use the toll revenue to improve the bridge overtime for today’s maritime vehicles? Could it be the original steel mill’s metal? Are engineers at fault? What about the last inspection company? What about back up systems and generators?

The list is endless. My impression is the state could have done a better job updating their own bridge.

You've got to be kidding me!

A ship of that size? So much for single failure criteria.
Moment investigators board stranded Dali ship for the first time to get its black box and admit hazardous materials are seeping out after it hit Baltimore's Key Bridge: Comes as four of the six workers who died are named | Daily Mail Online

The ships owner would be responsible for maintenance that might be a contributing factor. Time will tell.

[QUOTE=ithos;2316198

The only options I can think of is either build barriers to protect the piers or use tugs.



Another half hour paying for tugs would have been much less expensive than crashing the ship into a bridge pier.[/QUOTE]

Build higher and stronger.

If only they had checked the magic 8 ball.
Seriously, tugs are a good help, normally. But even tugs can have breakdowns. Accidents happen. Nothing is 100%.

The insurance companies will figure it out. This not uncharted waters for them. Even if all maintenance was upto date, no problems found during inspections, all systems operating when tugs departed, things can just break.
Dropping anchor might not have been a viable option since cables, pipes, and more pass under water through many harbors. Destruction may have been even worse, more destructive, disruptive and deadly

Thanks!!! I am sure you are right.

I thought I heard they did drop anchor to slow it down….maybe not?

I honestly haven't kept up with the investigations. Maybe they did. But, all harbors aren't just mud on the bottom. Depending what is on the bottom they could have torn up anything. Electronics, communications, gas, oil, ?, ?. We won't really know anything until the investigations are done and reviewed. At this point it is all conjecture. But there will be a lot of arguments, finger pointing and butt protecting.
The one bright star that I can see is, I was not the Captain. I would have chosen to go down without my ship.

Just assign and attach a tug boat to each vessel til they clear the obstacles.

Fortunately there are governing agencies who don't take such a lackadaisical view as yours. When there are single engine super freighters passing under inherently fragile truss bridges, then over time the odds are not on their side. Far superior bridges have pier protection because of the foresight of their governing authorities.

If any agency was using an 8 ball, it was the one who had oversight of the FSK bridge.

Here's what surprised a Drexel University professor about the Baltimore bridge collapse
https://6abc.com/baltimore-bridge-co...sity/14574047/

Bridge was built between 72 and 77. Bet new design will have structures you discussed,

Agree infrastructure needs to be addressed and until recently Congress would not appropriate the monies needed. This was a terrible accidnentClearly the ship hit the bridge and was out of control when it struck the 47 year old bridge. There are hundreds if not thousands of other bridges that should need work before this bridge. Can you imagine the up roar that would have happened if the CIty of Baltimore had been given any money for the modernization of this bridge when there are a lot more that needed to be repaired/replaced

Agree 100%. Shipping companies would not like this and claim that this was the 1st accident after bridge was completed in 1977

Someone needs to get things rolling 1st. Bridge is part of the intrastate highway system and trust that there are laws/agreements as to who pays to repair it. Regarding insurance, maritime laws will probably apply and they are not like the laws which apply to something like a car accident in the US.

If tolls are collected to cross the bridge why is the municipality that owns it passing the buck to the fed govt? Let them pay to fix it and than fight it out in court.

Tolls charged on the Key Bridge totaled $56.8 million in revenue for Maryland in 2023, according to a 2023 report from the MDTA. That sum is 8% of all toll revenue for MDTA. Maryland is now asking for 60 million from the federal government to pay for their budget shortfall in 2024. The bridge was a money printing press for state lawmakers. Tolls have long since paid for the bridge and repair work.