After the shock of collapse that struck one of the most important ports in the United States, many wonder if the accident that doomed the Francis Scott Key Bridge could have be avoided. Although the investigation is ongoing, many experts are convinced that if the tugboats had remained alongside the Dali longer, the accident it wouldn’t have happened. The disaster that involved the enormous container ship last Tuesday morning could have important consequences on the legislation in force and make even more expensive ship goods by sea.
Each port has its own story
In the frantic moments following the blackout that made the enormous ship ungovernable, the helmsman had few minutes to prevent the vessel from impacting the bridge pylon. In addition to dropping anchor, she immediately called the two tugs who, until a few minutes earlier, had guided the ship out of its anchorage. Unfortunately, however, it was now too late. There are no definitive answers but some industry experts consulted byAssociated Press they said they were sure that the tugboats would notice in time that the ship was not following the ideal course. Inside the Port of Baltimore and many other US berths, ship owners Not I am obliged to hire tugboats until their ships are out at sea.
Joseph Ahlstrom, pilot from the port of New York, has no doubts: “If it had been present longer, a tugboat could have prevented the ship from hitting the bridge. Going to sea is a dangerous business, we must do everything possible to minimize the risks”. The problem is that each port makes its own story, triggering a different story race to the bottom between various berths: considering that extra assistance can cost thousands of dollars, many shipowners prefer less restrictive ports. In the case of Baltimore, the help of tugboats is mandatory only in case of weather alert or safety concerns raised by the Coast Guard. In hindsight, a lightness that it will cost very dearly to the taxpayers of the state of Maryland.
A question of money
In the case of the Dali, the shipowner had hired two local pilots and the assistance of two tugboats until the ship was in the deep channel leading towards the Chesapeake Bay, before pointing its bow towards Sri Lanka. According to satellite data, the ship began to exit the canal shortly thereafter, eventually ending up hit the pylon of the bridge. The ship’s black box, as reported by the National Transportation Safety Board, shows how the pilot declared the emergency only four minutes before impact with the bridge. According to David Heindel, president of the main commercial mariners’ union, it is “It’s strange that they didn’t need tugboats to cross the bridge. Especially in narrow ports, this is normal”.
The Maryland Port Authority and the Coast Guard seem to reiterate that the one followed is the normal procedure for ships of this kind. The Singapore shipowner, Synergy, detected nothing strange in the procedure but the assistance of the two powerful tugboats could have made all the difference in the world. The 1989 accident of Exxon Valdez in Alaska and the resulting ecological disaster has made the use of tugboats mandatory in the case of oil tankers but, at least so far, such measures have not been envisaged to safeguard local infrastructure. Considering the margins extremely reduced in sea freight, the ships would simply dock elsewhere.
The risk of inflation
The tugboat operators are convinced that the serious accident will push the authorities to take action assistance is mandatory until the ships are in the open sea but the issue of safety is much more complex. Tugboats are few and using them for longer could make ports even busier. Jennifer Carpenter, president of a trade association it seems resigned: “The last thing we want is to have two tugboats present for every vessel. Some ports have tried to do this but shipowners are under pressure from customers”.
In 2004, California’s Congress tried to impose the requirement, but then-Gov Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed. Getting a ship out of the Port of Baltimore costs about $15,000, but if extra assistance is needed, the cost can go up significantly. Ultimately, every additional dollar translates into less profit or cost downloaded to customersa prospect that makes a sector in crisis like freight transport shudder.
One way or another, they will pay the consequences consumerswhich would further aggravate inflation.
