BALTIMORE — The latest report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) shows investigators looking into the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge have honed in on the possible failure of a $2.17 piece of electrical equipment that measures 2.5 inches long.
The bridge collapsed in March after a cargo ship, named the Dali, crashed into it. The investigative update to the NTSB's preliminary report was released Monday, the same day the Dali finally left Baltimore for Virginia, nearly three months after the bridge collapse.
According to the report, officials spoke with the vessel's crew and examined the ship's engineering systems and electrical systems. Officials say during the voyage, two of the ship's electrical breakers, HR1 and LR1, unexpectedly opened while the Dali was only three ship lengths away from the bridge. The loss of the electrical power caused the ship's first blackout. The outage caused the ship to lose lighting and most equipment.
The small terminal block and it's connecting wiring has since been removed from the Dali, while the NTSB continues its investigation in the role that played, and any potential safety recommendations to stop anything like this from happening again.
"We continue to examine the removed components at the NTSB Materials Laboratory," the NTSB said in the report. "We will continue to evaluate the design and operation of the vessel’s electrical power distribution system, and investigate all aspects of the accident to determine the probable cause and identify potential safety recommendations."
The Dali was assisted by four tug boats as it departed the Port of Baltimore Monday. In a news release the Coast Guard said the ship was sailing under its own power with a full crew of 22 and six salvage experts.
Just before noon, vehicle traffic was brought to a complete stop on both sides of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge as the ship was escorted underneath it by The Coast Guard.
The Dali is headed to the Port of Virginia in Norfolk. That's where crews will work to repair the front-end damage from the collapse.
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