Key Bridge collapse probe expected to examine cargo ship's reported loss of power

BALTIMORE — An investigation into the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge is expected to determine what caused this catastrophe and provide new details on why the outbound cargo ship Dali collided with the bridge.

Jennifer Homendy, the chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, said the independent federal agency would lead the investigation, with support from the U.S. Coast Guard. The NTSB is responsible for investigating major accidents involving marine traffic, highways, airplanes and railways.

Investigators will examine whether there were any deficiencies on the vessel or with the Key Bridge’s structure and design, Homendy said. The agency was “made aware” of reported power failures on the cargo ship, Homendy said, but NTSB investigators must “verify” whether it was a contributing factor.

NTSB investigations often take a year or more to complete. Final reports include “details about the accident, analysis of the factual data, conclusions and the probable cause of the accident, and the related safety recommendations,” the agency says on its website.

Gov. Wes Moore and federal authorities said there was no evidence that the collision was a terrorist attack.

Homendy said the focus is on ongoing search and rescue operations at the NTSB’s afternoon news conference.

“Right now, it’s about people. It’s about families, and addressing the needs of those that were impacted,” Homendy said.

But Tuesday evening, Jeffrey Pritzker, executive vice president of Brawner Builders, the construction company with workers repairing potholes on the bridge, said the six missing workers were presumed dead.

A U.S. Coast Guard briefing report obtained by The Baltimore Sun declared the Key Bridge collapse a “major marine casualty” Tuesday morning. Those types of investigations are handled by the NTSB’s Office of Marine Safety.

The briefing said “initial reports” suggested a harbor pilot and assistant who were on board reported “power issues, multiple alarms on the bridge and the loss of propulsion prior to the incident.”

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