The FBI has launched a criminal investigation into the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, which claimed the lives of six workers when a cargo ship crashed into a support pylon. The tragic incident occurred on March 26, with the bodies of four victims now recovered, including a construction worker found inside a missing vehicle.
FBI agents boarded the cargo ship Dali to conduct law enforcement activities related to the crash. The investigation will focus on whether the crew of the ship was aware of serious problems with its systems before leaving port. Safety investigators have recovered the ship’s “black box” recorder, which will provide crucial data on the events leading up to the collapse.
The city of Baltimore has hired two law firms to explore potential litigation against the owner, charterer, and operator of the ship. The vessel, registered under Grace Ocean Pte Ltd, was managed by Synergy Marine Group and chartered by Maersk. The US National Transportation Safety Board is also conducting interviews with key personnel as part of its probe.
Efforts to clear the wreckage and restore traffic in the Baltimore port continue, with temporary channels opened for shallow-draft vessels. The replacement of the bridge is expected to take years, but authorities are working to open a new channel to the Port of Baltimore by the end of April. The Dali, which was en route to Sri Lanka at the time of the crash, had previously been involved in a similar incident in Belgium in 2016 and had machinery deficiencies noted in a 2023 inspection in Chile.