Posted on 03/26/2024 6:22:01 PM PDT by bitt
Guest editorial by Jim Nelles:
The video footage of the Singaporean-flagged cargo vessel, the Dali, crashing into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore is truly horrifying.
Video footage shows the ship’s lights flickering on and off, indicating it lost power shortly before crashing into the bridge’s stanchion. The video also shows black smoke coming from the ship’s exhaust vents, indicating that the crew was trying to restart diesel engines.
Unfortunately, eight workers were performing construction on the bridge at the time of collapse, only two of whom were rescued. Given the temperatures of the Patapsco River, they must be presumed deceased. In addition, a number of cars were on the bridge when it collapsed.
The ship issued a mayday prior to hitting the bridge, which allowed Maryland Transportation authorities to stop traffic on the bridge, saving countless lives.
However, this begs the question, why did the ship not drop anchor upon losing power, as is standard protocol when a ship is in what is called restricted maneuvering conditions. Upon losing power, the ship’s personnel should have dropped anchor.
Regardless of the ship failing to follow protocol, the disaster should serve as a warning about the security of our ports.
The port of Baltimore is now closed. The port handled 52.3 million tons of international cargo, worth approximately $80.8 billion in 2023. The port supports more than “15,000 direct jobs and more than 139,000 indirect jobs, generating more than $3 billion in total personal income.”
The port handled a record amount of foreign cargo last year, and it was the 17th biggest port in the nation overall in 2021, ranked by total tons, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
The port was the largest importer of trucks and light vehicles in 2023, with approximately 750,000 cars and light trucks entering the port in 2023.
Beyond that, an estimated 12.4 million vehicles cross the Francis Scott Key Bridge every year, nearly 34,000 per day.
The economic impact of this bridge collapse is beyond measure.
As of Tuesday morning, more than 40 ships are stuck inside of the harbor.
Imagine a similar accident in New York, collapsing the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, blocking the entrance to the ports of New York and New Jersey, which moved nearly 9.5 million containers in 2022.
In addition, Synergy Marine Group, the company that operates the vessel, is a huge fan of DEI, claiming that they “realize that the benefits of diversity are best achieved by fostering greater inclusion and belonging.
Perhaps they should be focusing on navigation, and not Diversity. To paraphrase Elon Musk’s interview with Don Lemon, DEI can lead to DIE.
So what is to be done?
First, the nation’s Secretary of Transportation, who has been missing in action, needs to ensure that all ships entering American ports are properly manned and that they follow standard protocols when entering our waters.
Second, protocols need to be formalized into law, not just standard practice.
Last, the U.S. Coast Guard must ensure the safety of our ports, even at the risk of impacting commerce. This disaster has become a blueprint for terrorists looking to destroy our nation’s economy.
Jim Nelles is a supply chain consultant based and political analyst in Chicago, IL. He has served as a Chief Procurement Officer, Chief Supply Chain Officer, and a Chief Operations Officer for multiple companies. He has a BA from Northwestern University in Economics and French as well as a Masters in Management from the JL Kellogg Graduate School of Business.
The vid shows the stern swinging around to the left and pointing the bow directly pointing at the stanchion it hit. Why did the pilot go to hard right rudder and appears to aim the bow for collision?
I give up, why?
I think we all know the really reason.
Climate Change.
Sounds like more business for Hampton Roads and Norfolk, Va
To my embarrassment and astonishment, I learned that the Dali, built by Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea, meeting the designs of the owner Oceanbulk Maritime SA and ocean transport service Maersk:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Dali
was “a single screw.” I incorrectly assumed at least “twin screws” - 1 port side plus 1 starboard side.
A single screw boat / ship / vessel is prone to the propellor “walking” (known as paddlewheel effect or asymmetric blade thrust) - partcularly when the vessel is set to run in Reverse motion.
From the rear view: A right hand prop rotates clockwise when the vessel is set to run in Forward motion . . . and counter-clockwise when the vessel is set to run in Reverse motion.
In Reverse, the stern of the vessel “walks” to port - to the left.
(In my previous considerations (twin screws), I imagined that, in Reverse, only the starboard prop was functioning during the emergency reverse. And thus, ONLY the right rear of the ship was pulling toward the rear.)
So, in the crosswind of 8 knots from the east “working” on the very high and large “sail” of the vessel+containers ship heading southeast, and now including the prop “walking” the stern to port . . . the FSK Bridge support was in the way.
The ship has 1 stern rudder, plus 1 bow thruster.
When in forward motion (”under way”) and very heavy, but single screw in reverse, the rudder is initially not a significant contributor. The bow thruster also not much help - if it was working.
Were these construction workers in the country legally?
I’m thinking it will only take a few weeks to clear the channel and traffic can start again, or am I wrong? Maybe this is not as bad as it sounds.
I dunno
I am bookkeeper for a construction company and we only hire Americans
I reckon I was assuming...
The container ship was being piloted by local pilots at the time of the collision, not its own crew, according to CNN. Local pilots, who are familiar with the harbor, are used to move cargo ships out to open water in hopes of avoiding accidents.
Also: The Singapore-flagged ship, called DALI is chartered by the Danish shipping company Maersk, the company told CNN. The ship was carrying Maersk customers’ cargo, according to the company, and was on its way to Sri Lanka from the Baltimore Harbor.
https://www.dailywire.com/news/8-people-were-on-baltimore-bridge-at-time-of-collapse-ship-issued-a-mayday-before-collision-authorities
Dali sister ship: MV Cezanne:
https://www.vesselfinder.com/vessels/details/9697416
https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/photos/of/ships/shipid:5481513/shipname:CEZANNE?order=date_uploaded
See: https://www.marinetraffic.com/getPhoto/?photo_id=4950293&photo_size=800
MV Cezanne appears to have a single rudder. Ship, when light and high in the water - the single prop is more effective at performing the "prop walk" to port, when ship is in Reverse.
Thanks for the information.
Don’t be too embarrassed or hard on yourself...if you know the difference in ship handling that exists between a single screw vessel and a multi-screw vessel, then you are ahead of the game.
I haven’t had time to look at it in much detail, but I do appreciate the information.
It depends on if the can get a Competent trouble shooter with authority to cut thru the reams of red tape vs Woke bureaucrats and politicians who see an opportunity to “reimagine” Baltimore Harbor as a safe space for electric or sail boats and no bridges with no white people allowed!
Thank you.
Possibly, to check our response. Recon by fire.
Saw a boat captain say that at 6 to 8 knots, dropping anchor is as useless as a rider trying to stop a motorcycle going 100 mph with his boot.
Also he said he was surprised the anchor wasn’t ripped off the ship.
I saw that they were tugged to where they were before heading out to sea. It was after that things went wrong.
Yep. Lots of discussion on this topic on the forum. Tragic event.
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