Page 10 - Shipping Industry

Baltimore bridge collapse piques concern on safety, communication measures

In the moments before the cargo ship Dali rammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge and sent it crumbling into the water, a flurry of urgent warnings crackled over radios and enabled police to block traffic from getting on the span, likely saving lives. But those warnings seemingly didn't reach the six construction workers who were killed in last week's collapse of the Baltimore bridge. Their deaths have raised questions about whether the construction company took proper precautions, including keeping a safety boat nearby that might have been able to warn them at least a few seconds before impact. Federal regulations require construction companies to keep such boats, commonly known as skiffs, on hand whenever crews are working over waterways, safety experts told The Associated Press. There is no indication that the construction company, Brawner Builders, had a rescue boat on the water or ready to be launched as the bridge fell. If you're working over a bridge like that, the standard

Baltimore collapse: Ship crew to remain on board until probe is completed

The crew of 20 Indians and a Sri Lankan of the container vessel that collided with a key Baltimore bridge last week is busy with their normal duties and will remain on board until the investigation into the accident is completed. It is confirmed there are 21 crew members on board. The crew members are busy with their normal duties on the ship as well as assisting the National Transportation Safety Board and Coast Guard investigators on board," a spokesperson of Grace Ocean Pte and Synergy Marine told PTI. The crew is on board the container vessel Dali that collided with the 2.6-km-long four-lane Francis Scott Key Bridge over the Patapsco River in Baltimore in the early hours of March 26. The 984-foot cargo ship was bound for Colombo, Sri Lanka. On how long the crew would have to stay on board the ship, the spokesperson said, At this time, we do not know how long the investigation process will take and until that process is complete, the crew will remain on board. The Singapore-flag

Shipowner in Baltimore bridge collapse seeks to limit liability to $43.7 mn

The company, Grace Ocean, could face hundreds of millions of dollars in damage claims, legal experts say

Baltimore bridge: US Coast Guard opens temporary channel for vessels

The US Coast Guard has opened a temporary, alternate channel for vessels involved in the clearing of debris at the site of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, part of a phased approach to opening the main channel leading to the vital port, officials said. Crews are undertaking the complicated work of removing steel and concrete at the site of the bridge's deadly collapse into the Patapsco River after a container ship lost power and crashed into a supporting column. On Sunday, dive teams surveyed parts of the bridge and checked the ship, and workers in lifts used torches to cut above-water parts of the twisted steel superstructure. Officials said the temporary channel is open only to vessels that are helping with the cleanup effort. Authorities believe four workers plunged to their deaths in the collapse. Recovery of their bodies is a key part of the ongoing salvage operation. Officials earlier said the channel would have a controlling depth of 11 feet (over 3 meter

Crews start removing first piece of steel from collapsed Baltimore bridge

Teams of engineers worked Saturday on the intricate process of cutting and lifting the first section of twisted steel from the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge, which crumpled into the Patapsco River this week after a massive cargo ship crashed into one of its supports. Sparks could be seen flying from a section of bent and crumpled steel in the afternoon, and video released by officials in the evening showed demolition crews using a cutting torch to slice through the thick beams. The joint incident command said in a statement that the work was being done on the top of the north side of the collapsed structure. Crews were carefully measuring and cutting the steel from the broken bridge before attaching straps so it can be lifted onto a barge and floated away, Coast Guard Rear Adm. Shannon Gilreath said. Seven floating cranes - including a massive one capable of lifting 1,000 tons - 10 tugboats, nine barges, eight salvage vessels and five Coast Guard boats were on site in the water

Baltimore bridge collapse: Focus on removing heavy structure from water

Teams of engineers are now focused on the formidable job of hauling the shattered remains of the Francis Scott Key Bridge out of Maryland's Patapsco River, the first step toward reopening the Port of Baltimore and recovering the bodies of four workers who are still missing and presumed dead. A massive cargo go ship felled the span Tuesday after striking one of its main supports. Experts are trying to figure out how to break that bridge up into the right-sized pieces that we can lift, U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Shannon Gilreath said Friday at a news conference. The tools that are needed have been coming into place. They include seven floating cranes - one of which is one of the largest on the Eastern Seaboard, capable of lifting 1,000 tons - 10 tugboats, nine barges, eight salvage vessels and five Coast Guard boats. To go out there and see it up close, you realize just how daunting a task this is, Gov. Wes Moore said Friday afternoon as the massive crane loomed behind him. With a ..

Cranes arriving to remove wreckage from deadly Baltimore bridge collapse

The largest crane on the Eastern Seaboard was being transported to Baltimore so crews can begin removing the wreckage of a collapsed highway bridge that has halted a search for four workers still missing days after the disaster and blocked the city's vital port from operating. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said the crane, which was arriving by barge and can lift up to 1,000 tons, will be one of at least two used to clear the channel of the twisted metal and concrete remains of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, and the cargo ship that hit it this week. "The best minds in the world are working on the plans for removal, Moore said. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the Baltimore District told the governor that it and the Navy were mobilizing major resources from around the country at record speed to clear the channel. This is not just about Maryland, Moore said. This is about the nation's economy. The port handles more cars and more farm equipment than any other port in America. He warned of

Baltimore bridge collapse: New structure would take years, cost $400 mn

Rebuilding Baltimore's collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge could take anywhere from 18 months to several years, experts say, while the cost could be at least $400 million or more than twice that. It all depends on factors that are still mostly unknown. They range from the design of the new bridge to how swiftly government officials can navigate the bureaucracy of approving permits and awarding contracts. Realistically, the project could take five to seven years, according to Ben Schafer, an engineering professor at Johns Hopkins University. The lead time on air conditioning equipment right now for a home renovation is like 16 months, right?" Schafer said. He continued: So it's like you're telling me they're going to build a whole bridge in two years? I want it to be true, but I think empirically it doesn't feel right to me. Others are more optimistic about the potential timeline: Sameh Badie, an engineering professor at George Washington University, said the project could take as .

Baltimore bridge collapse puts specialised role of pilot under spotlight

The expert pilots who navigate massive ships in and out of Baltimore's port must often manoeuvre with just two feet of clearance from the channel floor and memorise charts, currents and every other possible maritime variable. The highly specialised role -- in which a pilot temporarily takes control of a ship from its regular captain -- is coming under the spotlight this week. Two pilots were at the helm of the cargo ship Dali about 1.25 am Tuesday when it lost power and, minutes later, crashed into a pillar of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing the bridge to collapse and kill six construction workers. While the incident will undoubtedly raise larger questions about ship and port safety protocols, so far there is no indication the pilots on the Dali did anything wrong given the immediate situation they faced. The ship sent out a mayday call, which gave just enough time for authorities to close the bridge to traffic and likely prevented further deaths. The lead pilot also dropped

Baltimore bridge collapse: US concerned about impact on immediate region

US officials have expressed concern about the implications rippling beyond the immediate region after a key bridge harbouring America's largest vehicle handling port collapsed in Baltimore when a cargo ship crashed into it, even as experts predicted repercussions to be "modest and mainly localised". The 2.6km-long, four-lane Francis Scott Key Bridge over the Patapsco River in Baltimore was destroyed after Dali, a 984-foot cargo ship bound for Sri Lanka, collided against a bridge column in the early hours of Tuesday. The collapse of the bridge has indefinitely halted the flow of ships in and out of Baltimore Port. We are concerned about the local economic impact, with some 8,000 jobs directly associated with port activities," US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told reporters in the White House on Wednesday. "We're concerned about implications that will ripple out beyond the immediate region because of the port's role in our supply chains, he said, describing the Baltimore po

Baltimore bridge collapse: Ships with heavy load need to find new harbour

Manufacturers and shippers are scrambling to figure out where they can load or unload cargo while the main operations of the Port of Baltimore remain shut down due to Tuesday's deadly collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Supply chain experts say other ports up and down the East Coast are likely to absorb much of Baltimore's traffic, avoiding a crisis. But not without some longer shipping times and upheaval. "Ultimately, most trade through Baltimore will find a new home port," Moody's Analytics economist Harry Murphy Cruise wrote in a blog post. US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg reiterated Wednesday that it was too soon to estimate how long it would take to clear the bridge structure from the 50-foot-deep Patapsco River channel, which leads to the port's main terminal. The port's location makes it a key destination for freight. The Maryland Port Administration says the facility is an overnight drive from two-thirds of the US population, and it's closer to the Midwest t

Days after Baltimore bridge collapses, union fears loss of 2,400 jobs

Dock workers are hired daily based on what's needed, without a guarantee of pay if the port is shut down, Cowan said. As a result, union members have been reaching out

Baltimore bridge collapse: Divers to search harbour for those presumed dead

The disaster also forced the indefinite closure of the Port of Baltimore, one of the busiest on the US Eastern Seaboard, and created a traffic quagmire for Baltimore and the surrounding regio

Baltimore bridge collapse: Ship that crashed has a troubled history

The incident is proving disruptive for shipping at one of the busiest ports on the US East Coast and also for road transport, as it severed a key link on the major highway encircling Baltimore

Baltimore bridge collapse: Coal exports likely to be blocked for weeks

Ernie Thrasher added that the coal that moves out of Baltimore includes a lot of India-bound thermal coal, which is used for electricity generation

Titanic law helps ship owner limit liability in Baltimore bridge collapse

At the center of the legal fallout will be Singapore-based Grace Ocean, owner of the container ship Dali that crashed Tuesday into the Francis Scott Key Bridge at the start of a voyage

Baltimore bridge collapse: 6 dead, port disruptions hit cars to coal

The toll could have been worse except for a mayday call from the Singaporean-flagged vessel as it lost power

'Cargo ship lost power, issued mayday before hitting Baltimore's bridge'

A container ship lost power and rammed into a major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, causing the span to buckle into the river below and plunging a construction crew and several vehicles into the dangerously cold waters. Rescuers pulled out two people, but six others were missing. The ship's crew - all Indian, 22 in total - issued a mayday call moments before the crash took down the Francis Scott Key Bridge, enabling authorities to limit vehicle traffic on the span, Maryland's governor said. The ship struck one of the bridge's supports, causing the structure to collapse like a toy. It tumbled into the water in a matter of seconds a shocking spectacle that was captured on video and posted on social media. The vessel caught fire, and thick, black smoke billowed out of it. With the ship barreling toward the bridge at a very, very rapid speed, authorities had just enough time to stop cars from coming over the bridge, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said. "These people are heroes, Moore said

FedEx plans $5 bn buyback as CEO's cost-cutting measures yield results

The shares rose as much as 13% after regular trading in New York, while competitor United Parcel Service Inc. advanced 3.4%

Red Sea crisis impact on trade data will be visible in FY24: GTRI

With escalating everyday attacks and no end in sight, the Red Sea crisis will adversely impact trade volumes in substantial ways in 2024, according to the report of economic think tank GTRI. The Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said that rising shipping, and insurance costs and delayed arrival of shipments will continue to disrupt global value chains, squeeze margins, and make exports of many low-margin products unviable from current locations. Countries in Asia, Africa, and Europe will face the most disruption across industries, it added. It said that the disruption is significantly impacting Indian trade, especially with the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. India, heavily reliant on the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait for crude oil and LNG imports and trade with key regions, faces substantial economic and security risks from any disruption in this area. About 65 per cent of India's crude oil imports in FY2023, valued at USD 105 billion, from countries like Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and ...