The massive ships that regularly sail into Maryland carry cars, cargo, commerce — and a degree of potential calamity.
That minute, but real, risk that each vessel presents became horribly apparent March 26, when the 100,000-plus-ton Dali cargo ship decimated the Francis Scott Key Bridge, killing six men, after losing power at the most inopportune moment. It was an unprecedented disaster, but a huge ship losing propulsion had happened before, many times, in fact. And in the months since the tragedy, there have been other instances of ships experiencing trouble in Maryland waters.
No ship has had a complete loss of power since the Dali did, but in Maryland waters since March 26 there have been at least seven instances of ships experiencing a loss or reduction of power or steering, according to the Coast Guard.
In one case, it was a cargo ship that briefly lost engine power as it departed the Seagirt Marine Terminal while it was tied to tugboats, which safely guided it back into a berth. In others, the issue happened far from any infrastructure.
Another instance, though, occurred Aug. 1 in the direct vicinity of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge — bringing to mind a possible disaster even more catastrophic than the Key Bridge collapse. In that case, a 946-foot, old naval vessel named the Denebola, on its way to Texas to be recycled, experienced a steering issue near the bridge. Maryland Transportation Authority Police were notified of a…
