Key Bridge cleanup crews remove containers from freighter Dali
Cleanup crews in Baltimore have begun removing containers from the ship that struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
FBI agents boarded the Dali on Monday, the freighter that struck Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge and caused it to collapse last month, amid reports that a criminal investigation into the events leading up to the collapse had begun.
The agency has opened a criminal investigation into the bridge collapse, which will focus on whether the crew of the ship, named the Dali, knew its systems were experiencing problems when it left port, the Washington Post first reported.
In a statement to USA TODAY, the agency said: “The FBI is present aboard the freighter Dali conducting court-authorized law enforcement activity. There is no other public information and we will have no further comment.”
The FBI’s involvement in the Baltimore bridge collapse was expected because the bureau has a leading role in terrorism investigations, according to a senior government official. The official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, characterized the FBI’s handling of Dali as standard operating procedure.
In the hours after the crash, terrorism was quickly ruled out by government officials, who focused on the loss of power on board the ship as the likely cause of the incident. However, the FBI is the agency that makes the final decision on terrorism and will thoroughly investigate the possibility, the official said.
Accidents involving ships are usually handled by the Coast Guard and sometimes by the National Transportation Safety Board, the official said. Both agencies have been involved since the early days of the investigation. Given the overlapping concerns in Baltimore about possible criminal negligence, a foreign-flagged vessel in US territorial waters and at least the possibility of terrorism, several agencies will be involved in a joint investigation.
Some agencies are likely to drop out when the investigation into their concern is over, the official said.
The investigation will also focus on the events leading up to the collapse and whether federal laws and regulations were followed, an anonymous source told The Associated Press.
Eric L. Barron, the U.S. attorney for Maryland, said in a statement emailed to USA TODAY, “My office will not normally confirm the existence or otherwise comment on investigations. However, the public should know, whether it is gun violence, civil rights violations, financial fraud, or any other threat to public safety or property, we will hold accountable anyone who may be responsible.
On the same day that FBI officials boarded the ship, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott announced that the city plans to take legal action against Dali’s owner, lessee, manager and manufacturer, “as well as any other potentially responsible third parties,” according to press release.
The announcement comes after Grace Ocean Private Limited, the vessel’s owner, and Synergy Marine Private Limited, its manager, filed a petition in the District Court of Maryland earlier this month in a preemptive attempt to indemnify the two companies from any claims or costs for damages. which incur above $43 million as a result of the disaster.
“We continue to do everything we can to support everyone affected here and we will continue to recognize the human impact this event has had,” Scott said. “Part of that work must be to seek protection from those who may potentially be responsible, and with the shipowner filing a petition to limit liability just days after the incident, we must act just as quickly to protect interests of the city.”
Adam Levitt, the co-founder of DiCello Levitt, a law firm representing the city, said city attorneys will bring “significant claims for economic and environmental losses” against the owner, manager and others “to hold them accountable for causing one of the most the city’s major marine disasters in U.S. history.”
Darrell Wilson, a spokesman for Synergy Marine, told USA TODAY in an email: “Again, we extend our deepest sympathies to everyone affected by this incident. Due to the scale of the incident, there are various government agencies conducting investigations in which we are fully involved. Out of respect for these investigations and any future legal proceedings, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.”
Last week, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board told Congress that it had interviewed the freighter’s crew as part of its own investigation into the crash.
The 984-foot-long vessel collided with a bridge support column shortly after 1:20 a.m. on March 26, plunging the structure into the depths of the Patapsco River, along with eight workers repairing potholes along the way. Two workers were rescued, but six were declared dead.
Officials working at the site of the collapse recovered the body of Mayor Yasir Suazo-Sandoval, 38, on April 5. The bodies of two other victims, Dorlian Castillo Cabrera, 26, and Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, were found in a red pickup truck submerged 25 feet deep in the canal.
Authorities have not recovered the bodies of the three remaining victims, Miguel Luna, Jose Lopez and Carlos Hernandez.
Moore told reporters after the accident that the ship was traveling at a “very high speed” when it issued a “mayday” distress call shortly before it hit the bridge.
A pilot and special navigator along with a crew of 21 were on board the vessel at the time of the disaster.
An unclassified Department of Homeland Security report said the ship’s crew notified officials at the Maryland Department of Transportation that they had lost control of the ship and that a collision with the bridge was “possible.”
The ship’s pilot also sent out a VHF radio call requesting assistance from nearby tugboats as the ship’s power began to fail.
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Cleaning continues
Dali crews remain around the ship while the ship is being cleaned. As of last week, Maryland said 136 other foreign nationals were aboard seven other ships in the Port of Baltimore.
Maryland officials put the estimated weight of the collapsed steel and road debris at approximately 27,000 tons, or 54 million pounds. In addition to the debris from the bridge, Maryland State Police Superintendent Col. Roland Butler Jr. said there was at least one larger vehicle “completely encapsulated” by the bridge superstructure underwater.
Partners in the Coast Guard-led Joint Response Team said they were monitoring and testing for any potential spills or contamination from the Dali and its cargo, but found no threat to the public.
Crews are still working to unload cargo containers from the Dali, which is still standing in the water where it collided with the bridge.
Of the 4,700 cargo containers aboard the ship when it went down, 56 were carrying 764 tons of material classified as “hazardous,” including soaps, perfumes, mineral oil, corrosives and lithium-ion batteries, according to the Coast Guard and NTSB. The bridge collapse has already damaged 14 of the containers carrying hazardous material, creating a risk of fuel or other hazardous material leaking during removal efforts.
As of Sunday morning, a total of 39 cargo containers had been moved from the Dali to a barge to create a safety zone aboard the ship while workers continued to remove debris from the bridge and bow debris, Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Michael Himes said.
The Coast Guard and others created a 2,400-foot containment boom around the Dali in the days immediately following the bridge’s collapse in an effort to prevent pollution from the ship or its cargo from spreading into surrounding waterways.
The initially reported sheen in the water around the Dali may have been from a bow thruster on the front of the ship, which “usually allows it to turn to port or starboard” as it approaches the dock, according to Coast Guard Rear Adm. Shannon Gilreath. “We believe there was approximately 80 liters of oil in that area,” Gilreath said, but it was “too dangerous” to reach given the cargo and bridgework hanging from the front and sides of the ship.
In addition to the risks of leaking fuel or other hazardous material, workers are also grappling with concerns about off-gassing from soybeans fermenting on the ship.
The Maryland Department of Emergency Management said at a press briefing last week that crews packing fermented soybeans from containers on board to remove had about 50 tons to unload.
“Previous concerns about hazardous gases from fermenting soybean cargoes have all but been resolved,” the department said.
On Sunday, Himes, responding on behalf of the Joint Information Center to Daly’s response, confirmed that the workers’ efforts to remove the soybeans were almost complete.
Cybele Mayes-Osterman is a breaking news reporter for USA Today. Contact her by email at [email protected]. Follow her on X @CybeleMO.
