Hazardous material is leaking into the Port of Baltimore following the tragic freighter accident that caused the immediate collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge earlier this week.
On Wednesday, National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said her team had identified 56 containers of hazardous material aboard the Singapore container ship.
A senior agency hazardous materials investigator determined that “764 tons of hazardous materials,” including corrosives, lithium-ion batteries and flammables, now threaten the water surrounding the downed bridge.
Some of the containers “were broken,” Homendy said, noting that a layer of hazardous material could be seen in the waterway.
On Wednesday, National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said her team had identified 56 hazardous materials containers aboard the Singapore container ship, some of which are leaking at port.
The exact number of broken containers should be available in a preliminary report, which will be ready in two to four weeks.
“Our whole focus at the scene is to collect perishable evidence; that is, document the scene, take photographs, take any type of electronics or components, whatever is missing once the scene is cleaned,” he added, noting that the agency No conclusions or analyzes will be presented while specialists are still collecting material.
During Wednesday night’s news conference, Homendy described the scene where the bridge once stood as “pretty devastating.”
‘Not only seeing what is happening with the cargo containers, but simply looking at what was a bridge section: three bridge sections that have practically disappeared. “It’s just total devastation,” he said.
The NTSB has already interviewed the ship’s captain, his second, the chief engineer and another engineer. Tomorrow the two pilots will be interviewed on board the ship.
The ship had been flown by specialized local pilots trained to avoid obstacles in ports.
These specialized pilots abandon ships as soon as they are in open water. The ship is believed to have lost power after leaving port, causing her to veer off course and crash into a column supporting the bridge.
A previous report from DailyMail.com suggests that the ship’s entire crew could be trapped on board as authorities, including the NTSB, race to collect evidence and perishable samples.
The ship, a DALI vessel operated by Singaporean company Synergy Group, is believed to have been crewed by 22 Indian nationals, none of whom are believed to have been seriously injured in the incident.
Part of the bridge has collapsed onto the rear of the ship and the crew will likely not be able to abandon ship until the debris has been removed.
The speed of the customs clearance operation is likely to have repercussions on the rest of the US economy: Joe Biden claimed that 15,000 jobs depended on the port, one of the busiest in the world.
The bridge crosses the Patapsco River at the mouth of Baltimore Harbor.
President Joe Biden has promised to move “heaven and earth” to reopen it.
All activity at the Port of Baltimore, one of the most important commercial centers in North America, has stopped.
The 50 m wide ship is abandoned under the bridge. The ship’s crew may not be able to abandon ship under the bridge. The debris has been removed.
‘Not only seeing what is happening with the cargo containers, but simply looking at what was a bridge section: three bridge sections that have practically disappeared. “It’s just complete devastation,” said NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy.
Stunning images show the mangled remains of the bridge hours after it was struck by the cargo ship early on Tuesday morning.
The catastrophic collision has sent shockwaves across the state of Maryland, and Governor Wes Moore declared a state of emergency.
Catholic churches in Baltimore held masses Wednesday night to pray for families still waiting for news of their loved ones.
Around 1 a.m. Tuesday, the ship left Baltimore Harbor. She collided with the bridge around 1:30 a.m.
Officials were quick to rule out the catastrophe as intentional or an act of terrorism, and an initial report from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) found that the container ship “lost propulsion” as it left port.