Dali crew had minutes to alert officials onshore about loss of power before slamming into Key Bridge.

In the early hours of Tuesday morning, the tranquility of Baltimore’s waterways was shattered as the cargo ship Dali, loaded with 4,700 containers, lost power and careened towards the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

The events that followed, including frantic calls to halt bridge traffic, provide a harrowing glimpse into the moments leading up to the collision.

“I lost all steering,” the pilot of the Dali urgently informed a dispatcher at the Association of Maryland Pilots, according to communications reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.

Pilots, specialised mariners trained to navigate local waters, found themselves grappling with a ship adrift and rapidly veering off course.

With time ticking away, the pilot’s directive was clear: “Tell them to clear all traffic on the bridge.”

Urgent message

The dispatcher wasted no time relaying the urgent message to authorities, initiating a race against the impending disaster.

“There’s a ship heading toward the Key Bridge,” the dispatcher urgently notified the state transportation authority. “He lost steering. We need to stop all traffic on the Key Bridge.”

Acknowledging the severity of the situation, an official in the state’s Key Bridge office promptly responded, affirming their readiness to act.

Baltimore’s weary commuters face traffic nightmare after bridge …

These critical details, previously undisclosed, shed light on the efforts made to avert catastrophe.

However, despite these warnings, the Dali collided with the Key Bridge just minutes later, plunging a section of it into the Patapsco River and imperiling the lives of six construction workers who were on-site.

The victims

Tragically, Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, lost their lives in the incident, with four others presumed dead.

Jeff Pritzker, executive vice president of Brawner Builders, the construction company overseeing the bridge repairs, expressed shock at the unforeseen tragedy.

“Who could have possibly foreseen an event like this?” he questioned, highlighting the abruptness of the collapse. Pritzker revealed that the company is advocating for a memorial plaque on any replacement bridge, honoring the fallen workers.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is actively investigating the incident, analysing ship data and conducting interviews with crew members to ascertain the factors contributing to the accident.

Despite the devastation, investigators commend the pilot’s swift action in alerting authorities, a move that likely spared numerous lives.