Cargo Vessels Slams Into 1 of North America’s Busiest Bridges

Tragedy strikes as 6 construction workers lost in a bizarre accident as an outbound vessel carrying hundreds of containers of cargo slams into One of America’s busiest bridges that separate the main land and the US Capital in Maryland.

At approximately 1:27 am on Tuesday morning a cargo vessel leaving the port of Baltimore collides with a bridge, the vessel fully loaded with its containers loses power just prior to colliding with a bridge column thus causing the entire bridge to collapse a toy Lego bridge.

According to the ship’s crew the vessel lost all its power including its ability to navigate through the port waters in Baltimore, its believed that the vessel may have encounter a similar problem a year earlier in Chile. At present, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating what went wrong with the vessel’s power and why it suddenly stopped running.

Regular ship maintenance enhances safety, improves reliability, reduces downtime, and ensures compliance with regulations. It also contributes to cost-effectiveness by preventing major failures, optimizing fuel efficiency, and avoiding expensive emergency repairs.

How often should ship maintenance be performed?

The frequency of ship maintenance depends on several factors, including equipment type, manufacturer recommendations, classification society rules, and operational requirements. Maintenance tasks can range from daily checks to more extensive activities carried out during scheduled dry-docking periods. Proper training would help develop competency in maintenance practices, equipment handling, and troubleshooting. Crew members should be familiar with maintenance procedures, safety protocols, and the use of specialized tools and equipment.

The US coast guard are also checking the ships manifest to confirm whether there are any dangerous goods on the vessel, initial reports indicate there are several containers of Class 3 flammable liquids, Class 6.1 toxics and Class 8 corrosives. US coast guard has a special hazmat team searching the vessel today for any potential hazards.

Questions remain as to how this happen and how we can prevent such a tragedy of this magnitude to not happen again.