BALTIMORE (AP) — During the initial stages of a federal investigation into deadly collapse on the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, investigators focused on the electrical system of the massive container ship that veered off course.
Jennifer Homendi, chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board, said her agency is collecting data with the help of Hyundai, the ship’s engine room equipment manufacturer. Testifying before a U.S. Senate committee Wednesday morning, she said investigators also asked for help checking her circuit breakers.
“That’s where our focus is right now in this investigation,” she said. “Of course, this is preliminary. It could take different paths, different paths as we continue this investigation.”
Homendy said they targeted the electrical system. The ship had experienced power problems moments before the crash, as evidenced by videos showing its lights going out and back on.
Khomendi said the information gathered by the ship’s voyage data recorder is relatively simple, “so the information in the engine room will help us tremendously.”
Investigators are also looking into the design of the bridge and how it might be built better pier protection “by today’s standards,” Hommendi said.
The container ship Dali was leaving Baltimore loaded with cargo and headed for Sri Lanka when it hit one of the bridge’s support columns last month, causing the span to collapse into the Patapsco River and sending six crew members working on the road sinking to his death.
Divers have recovered three bodies from the underwater wreckage, while the other three victims are still missing.
Crews are working to remove sections of the fallen bridge, including those entangled in a muddy mess at the bottom of the Patapsco River.
“This job is extremely complex,” Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said during a press conference Wednesday afternoon.
Officials said they still expect to open a third temporary one delivery channel by the end of April, which will allow significantly more commercial traffic to pass through the Port of Baltimore. The east coast shipping hub is closed to most marine traffic after the bridge collapsed, blocking access to its main channel.
Moore said efforts are underway to offload shipping containers from the Dali, which will eventually be brought back to the surface after pieces of the fallen bridge are also lifted from its bow. He said the teams aim to remove 178 containers; So far, 34 items have been removed.
Moore also called for bipartisan support from Congress to fund the construction of a new bridge, saying federal lawmakers came together in 2007 to pay for the rebuilding of Interstate 35 Bridge in Minnesota after it collapsed into the Mississippi River. He urged members of Congress to visit Maryland and see for themselves.
“Sit with me and my team, get close to the wreckage,” he said. “Look what we’ve been watching for two weeks. See what it looks like when a steel bridge falls on a ship the size of the Eiffel Tower.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott also released an action plan to deal with the impacts of the bridge collapse, including help with rent and utility bills for people experiencing lost wages.
Federal safety investigators remain on the scene in Baltimore. They conducted multiple interviews, including with the ship’s pilots and crew members, Hommendi said during his testimony Wednesday. She testified at a hearing on her nomination to continue serving as board president for a second term.
She said the board’s preliminary report on the crash is likely to be released early next month.
Safety investigators previously laid out a tentative timeline leading up to the crash, which federal and state officials said appeared to be an accident.
Less than an hour after the Dali left Baltimore Harbor in the early hours of March 26, there were signs of trouble when multiple alarms sounded. About a minute later steering commands and rudder orders were issued and at 1:26 am 39 seconds the pilot made a general radio call to nearby tugs. Shortly after 1:27 a.m., the pilot ordered the ship to drop anchor on the port side and issued additional steering commands. About 20 seconds later, the pilot radioed that the Dali had lost all power approaching the bridge.
At about 1:29 a.m., when the ship was traveling about 8 miles per hour (13 km/h), the recordings for about 30 seconds picked up sounds consistent with a collision with the bridge.
