The U.S. Coast Guard released its Board of Inquiry report into the March 26, 2024, collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge after the container ship MV Dali struck the structure and killed six construction workers on Sept. 4. The report represents the most comprehensive federal safety review of major port infrastructure since the disaster and assessed vulnerability to similar risks at 11 major U.S. ports.
The Board of Inquiry, convened under the Ports and Waterways Safety Act, examined the circumstances of the allision — the term for a moving vessel striking a fixed structure — and the broader implications for port safety nationwide, according to the Coast Guard.
Six construction workers were killed when the 984-foot container ship lost power and struck one of the bridge’s support columns, causing the span to collapse into the Patapsco River. The disaster also shut down the Port of Baltimore for months, disrupting supply chains across the mid-Atlantic region.
The report contains recommendations to reduce the risk of large vessel bridge strikes at major ports across the country, according to the Coast Guard. The specific recommendations address both vessel operations and infrastructure protection measures.
The Board of Inquiry’s assessment of vulnerability at 11 major U.S. ports is significant for communities near port facilities and the millions of Americans who depend on goods moving through those ports. Bridges spanning shipping channels are present at numerous major U.S. ports.
The Key Bridge collapse prompted national discussion about aging infrastructure, the increasing size of commercial vessels, and the adequacy of bridge protection systems at ports built before the era of mega-container ships.
The Port of Baltimore has since resumed operations following an extensive channel clearing operation. A replacement bridge is in the planning stages.
The National Transportation Safety Board conducted a separate investigation into the disaster. The Coast Guard’s Board of Inquiry focuses specifically on port safety and waterways management.