Questions are beginning to be answered in the wake of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore on Tuesday morning.

A Singaporean cargo ship en route to Sri Lanka lost power, resulting in a collision with a structural beam of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, or Key Bridge, in Baltimore at about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday. 

“We are Maryland tough. We are Baltimore strong. In the face of danger, we hold out. In the face of heartbreak, we come together, and we come back stronger. That is what we’ve always done. That’s what we will continue to do,” Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD) said on X. He also said his administration was working with other government agencies on the crisis. 

Mayor Brandon Scott announced a local state of emergency in response. 

“Baltimore, I am officially declaring a local state of emergency in response to the collapse of our Key Bridge. Our teams are mobilizing resources and working swiftly to address this crisis and ensure the safety and well-being of our community,” Scott announced on X. 

Flags were lowered to half-mast in Maryland on Wednesday.

Who was on the bridge at the time? 

There were eight construction workers actively working on the bridge at the time of its collapse. They were working on fixing potholes in the pavement, not the bridge’s structural integrity. Two of the eight were rescued in the early morning, with one refusing medical treatment and the other spending the night in the hospital.

Tuesday night, search and rescue operations were suspended after officials determined that the water temperature and length the victims had been in the water would be too harsh to live through. 

“We are going to suspend the active search and rescue efforts. Coast Guard’s not going away, none of our partners are going away, but we’re just going to transition to a different phase,” Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said. The efforts will now shift to recovering bodies to find closure for the families. 

It is not believed that there were any cars traveling on the bridge at the time. When the ship lost power, it notified local authorities it was en route to strike the bridge within minutes. Mayday calls were received on land, and local authorities were able to shut down traffic on the bridge before its collapse.

“I have to say I’m thankful for the folks who — once the warning came up and once the notification came up that there was a mayday — who, literally by being able to stop cars from coming over the bridge, these people are heroes. They saved lives last night,” Moore said.

Which shipping company was behind the incident? 

The ship, the Dali, was owned by Singapore-based Grace Ocean but managed by Synergy Marine Group, which is also based in Singapore. It was carrying Maersk customers’ cargo.

“We are horrified by what has happened in Baltimore, and our thoughts are with all of those affected,” Maersk said in a statement to CBS News.

Moore said the ship was headed from Baltimore to Sri Lanka. All 24 people aboard the Dali survived the crash. It is unclear at this time what cargo the ship was carrying.

The Dali was involved in a collision in a Belgian port in 2016. The Dali hit a stone quay as it was leaving Antwerp, resulting in “hull damage impairing seaworthiness.” The company has also been cited for labor violations for keeping crew on the boat for more months than contracted.

Was there a structural flaw to blame for the bridge’s collapse?

There were no structural flaws in the bridge. Opened to traffic in 1977, the bridge was inspected most recently in May 2023 and “found to be in satisfactory condition with an overall rating of fair,” according to a press aide for U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. 

The ship hit a pylon or pier, a critical component of a bridge’s integrity. After the Sept. 11 attacks, Maryland debated installing pier guards but decided against it, citing high costs.

“This is a unique circumstance. I do not know of a bridge that has been constructed to withstand a direct impact from a vessel of this size,” Buttigieg said. 

The ship was traveling at a speed of 22 knots, or 25 miles per hour. The nearly 1,000-foot-long ship weighed 96,000 gross tons.   

After the ship issued the mayday call, notifying local authorities that the power was out and it was en route to strike the bridge, it only took about five minutes for the ship to strike the bridge. 

Who will pay for the damages?

President Joe Biden announced that the federal government will fully foot the bill to pay for a new bridge. The Key Bridge saw over 11 million passengers per year before its fall. 

“We’re going to work with our partners in Congress to make sure the state gets the support it needs. It’s my intention that the federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstructing that bridge, and I expect the Congress to support my effort,” Biden said. He has plans to visit Baltimore “quickly.”

Similar bridge collapses have seen full federal government support.

On Aug. 1, 2007, the I-35W Mississippi River Bridge, a major bridge in Minneapolis, collapsed during rush hour, resulting in 13 deaths. Two days later, the House unanimously voted 421-0 to spend $250 million to rebuild the bridge. The Senate unanimously passed the bill. Five days after the incident, on Aug. 6, the bill was signed into law by then-President George W. Bush.

At this time, it is unclear when a vote for funding will take place. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) said he plans to fight “for any federal resources Baltimore needs.”

Buttigieg made it clear during an interview on Fox on Wednesday morning that if someone is deemed responsible for the collapse, the government will pursue that, but funding the bridge’s reconstruction won’t wait.

“There’s no question that if the investigation determines that any private party or parties are responsible, they will be held accountable,” Buttigieg said. “But that can’t be something that we’re just waiting around for. We’ve got to make sure that we work now, today to get this bridge back up and to get this port back open.” 

How long will the bridge take to rebuild? 

It is currently unclear how long it will take to rebuild the bridge. Minnesota’s bridge reopened a little over a year after it collapsed in September 2008. The Key Bridge is longer, however, at about 1.5 miles in length. 

In 2023, a small portion of Interstate 95 collapsed in Philadelphia after a truck carrying gasoline lost control and became set on fire on an exit ramp. The affected portion of the freeway reopened two weeks later.

Will there be economic impacts from the Port of Baltimore closing? 

There will likely be economic impacts from the bridge collapse, not just in the Baltimore area but nationally. The Port of Baltimore is one of the busiest ports in the country, seeing 850,000 vehicles annually. 

The port is currently closed because there is bridge debris still in and above the water in the Patapsco River, preventing entry or exit into and out of the port. 

“We’re going to get it up and running again as soon as possible. … Fifteen thousand jobs depend on that port, and we’re going to do everything we can to protect those jobs and help those workers,” Biden said. 

In 2023, the Port of Baltimore handled 52.3 million tons of foreign cargo, worth $80 billion. It also is a key importer for many large industries such as auto and sugar.

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“Maryland’s Port of Baltimore generates about 15,300 direct jobs, with nearly 140,000 jobs linked to port activities. It ranks first among the nation’s ports for volume of autos and light trucks, roll on/roll off heavy farm and construction machinery, imported sugar, and imported gypsum; ninth among major U.S. ports for foreign cargo handled; and ninth for total foreign cargo value,” a statement from Moore said. 

Ship traffic and operations planned to go through Baltimore will now likely be rerouted through other ports, including ports in Virginia, New York, and Pennsylvania.