BALTIMORE — In the crucial four minutes between when the container ship Dali lost power and it struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge, the two pilots aboard ordered an anchor dropped, asked for emergency help from nearby tugboats, warned surrounding vessels and called a pilot dispatcher on a cellphone. That dispatcher then notified the Maryland Transportation Authority, which promptly shut down vehicle traffic onto the bridge, and the Coast Guard.
The exact protocol — how to halt vehicle traffic due to a threat from a ship — had rarely, if ever, been needed. But just 13 days before the incident, a harbor pilot had discussed updates to the procedure with fellow port stakeholders.
The Port of Baltimore Harbor Safety and Coordination Committee, a joint industry-government advisory panel, met March 13 at the Association of Maryland Pilots headquarters in Brewers Hill in Southeast Baltimore. The pilots, licensed by the state as expert navigators, are required by state law to guide large ships in Maryland waters.
A group of 47 maritime officials and civilians gathered, some in person and others by phone, to discuss dozens of topics. They talked about deepening one of the harbor’s anchorages, an upcoming inspection of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge near Annapolis, and even Katie Pumphrey’s planned marathon swim into Baltimore.
Capt. John Kinlein, a member of the Board of Pilots, brought up another concern: What to do in case a ship lost…
