The data will likely serve as a first step for investigators probing for the reasons why the cargo ship ran into one of the Key Bridge’s support columns — causing the bridge to crumble into the Patapsco River — and whether there was anything defective about the nearly 50-year-old span.

“That’s the primary purpose: Why did the casualty happen?” Brennan said. “Does it range from human error — I doubt it. Is there a mechanical failure? Probably. Are there contributing causes? Is there a failure to respond on the part of the captain or whoever was on the bridge? What could they have done to avoid that?”

Homendy said Wednesday morning that “a few folks” had boarded the vessel Tuesday night and that it was likely NTSB crews would board it again Wednesday.

She said the agency’s focus Wednesday would be “getting on board the vessel, getting the electronic logs or any sort of electronics components that we need to get.” The crews would be seeking “perishable evidence” that would no longer be available when the ship and wreckage was cleared from the waters.

“The focus is: What do we need for our investigation, whether it’s from the vessel or from the highway, from the bridge structure? Identifying those, securing those, before we do any analysis,” Homendy said.

NTSB investigations often take a year or more. Final reports detail the accident and provide an agency analysis and conclusions, along with the probable cause of the event and related safety recommendations.

Homendy said at a Tuesday news conference that investigators could consider whether the bridge should have had additional protective structures and the contents of previous bridge inspections. That examination of past safety deficiencies is a “meticulous process” that could take time, she said.

She also said she was in touch with her counterpart in Singapore, as the Dali was flagged in that Southeast Asian city-state.

She indicated the agency would also be working on a list of who investigators hope to interview, both on the vessel and in the immediate vicinity.

On that list is likely the ship’s entire crew, said Roth-Roffy. Also on board were the pilot and an apprentice who accompanied them.

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