Collapse of Baltimore bridge MERGED TOPIC

[Ralphw2]

A container ship lost control and struck the bridge completely destroying it and killing six.

The major port of Baltimore is blocked and the major north south highway will be severed for many months or years.

This is typical of how dependant industrial society is on previously built infrastructure which can be destroyed in seconds by a single point of failure.

As these incidents will become more common on the downslope of industrial society due to resource scarcity of climate change or war or terrorism we will probably see large economic stepdowns faster than the economic models world predict.

[BritDownUnder]

Interesting that a single boat could take out a bridge and stop shipping to a major US port. Surprising that the piers are not surrounded by an area of shallow water that might serve as a buffer to potential collisions.

Conspiracy perhaps?

[adam2]

I suspect that this was an accident. The ease with which the bridge was destroyed, and the scale of disruption expected may encourage deliberate attacks on other major bridges.
To hijack a ship and crash it into a bridge is not that hard, or of course to threaten or subvert one of the ships officers.

Most more modern bridges DO have protection against just such an accident or indeed a deliberate attack, but many older bridges are vulnerable. Some modern bridges protected against accidents might still be vulnerable to deliberate ramming by a larger ship at full speed.

Let this be a warning against "just in time" deliveries ! the cargo on the ship will be much delayed and some breakable or perishable goods will probably be destroyed. Freight will have to use alternative ports, at extra cost possibly for some years until the debris is removed and a new bridge constructed.
Although the ship is still afloat I expect that it is no longer seaworthy and will be scrapped. Ships are already in short supply due to many avoiding the Suez canal and taking the longer and therefore slower route around Africa (which has it its own pirates)

[BritDownUnder]

Seems like an accident but the ship lost, regained and then lost power. Perhaps ships need to have some protection against power loss and how it affects steering etc. Maybe ships without this protection should be banned from US ports.

This port seems to be an important EXPORT port for things like cars and coal and hence would be a big blow to the US economy if shut down. While there is a very good chance it is an accident it would also be a good target for economic vandalism to stop exports of things like EVs and coal from the US and who would that benefit?

[adam2]

Steering does not take that much power and I agree that a quick acting standby source of power should be required.

China and russia would both stand to gain from any deliberate attacks of this nature. Extreme islamists would probably like this sort of thing also, not for direct financial gain, but simply out of hatred for the West.

[BritDownUnder]

It will be interesting if the US could get any money back from the ship owners or whether the ownership of ships in tax havens and third world countries is just so opaque that they can effectively thumb their noses at the US authorities. Also will the Indian crew face charges given there was a (US?) pilot on board.

Could there be foreign crew restrictions on boats travelling to the US in future like an extension of the Jones Act?

[adam2]

Parts of the destroyed bridge that were resting upon the forward part of the ship have now been broken up with a large number of small explosive charges. The ships crew remained on board and below deck during this operation. It is hoped to move the ship soon.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-69011124

[adam2]

The shipping channel and the port are now reported to be fully cleared and operating as normal, according to news reports late last night on the BBC world service.

[kenneal - lagger]

It will be interesting if the US could get any money back from the ship owners or whether the ownership of ships in tax havens and third world countries is just so opaque that they can effectively thumb their noses at the US authorities. Also will the Indian crew face charges given there was a (US?) pilot on board.

Could there be foreign crew restrictions on boats travelling to the US in future like an extension of the Jones Act?

All ships should have insurance but whether or not it would cover collisions, I don't know, and whether there are limits on the payout only the ship owners and their insurers know at the moment. I would think that the insurers are looking for ways of limiting the payout at the moment!! A bridge that size and the disruption to trade and passage are going to be in the billions.