The six people declared missing after a container ship named Dali hired by Maersk ran into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, the United States of America on Tuesday, have now been presumed dead due to the depth of water, cold water temperature, and the length of time since the incident.
The 2.57km bridge crumpled into the water after the nine-year old Singaporean flag container ship ran into its pillars.
The crew of the ship prevented further casualties by issuing a mayday signal as the ship lost power and control on the approach to the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
Video of the incident from a fixed camera covering the bridge shows all lights on the vessel going dark for as long as 60 seconds as it neared the bridge support.
The crew issued a mayday signal and traffic was prevented from entering the bridge in the crucial minutes before the impact. President Biden said this action saved lives and the Governor of Maryland hailed the crew as heroes.
“At this point we do not believe that we are going to find any of these individuals still alive,” U.S. Coast Guard’s Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath said.
Two members of the road repair crew were rescued in the immediate aftermath of the bridge collapse, one walked away and the other was taken to hospital in a critical condition.
The 22 Indian crew of Dali are reported as safe, as are the two pilots who were onboard at the time of the allision. The ship remains afloat at the scene with part of the bridge structure and roadway laying across the bow.
The 300 metre-long Dali container ship, built in 2015, is on time charter to Maersk. It is operated by Synergy Marine Group, and owned by Grace Ocean Investment.
The ship has been involved in one prior accident when it collided with a shipping pier in Belgium in 2016. The incident occurred as the Dali was leaving port in Antwerp and struck a loading pier made of stone, causing damage to the ship’s stern.
The Antwerp port authorities said Dali hit a quay on July 11, 2016 as it tried to exit the North Sea container terminal. It said the ship had remained at the dock for repairs for some time after the incident.
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