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Coast Guard to review port safety nationally after Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore

A Coast Guard vessel passes the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge, Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Matt Rourke
/
AP
A Coast Guard vessel passes the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge, Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Baltimore.

The U.S. Coast Guard says it will conduct a national review of port safety and risk management after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March.

The collapse, caused by the nearly 1,000-foot-long cargo ship Dali, made the Coast Guard consider how current practices and standards may not be up to date considering the hazard posed by the vessels. That’s according to Deputy Commandant for Operations Vice Admiral Peter Gautier, who testified before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Wednesday.

“It is evident looking more broadly, that the size and complexity of ships has grown over the years, placing greater demands on our marine transportation infrastructure that may not have kept pace with the increased risks that these vessels pose,” he said.

Gautier said the review will look at individual port safety and create a national holistic approach to protecting ports from major incidents like the one at the Key Bridge.

The National Transportation Safety Board released its initial report on the Key Bridge collapse earlier this week.

The report states that the Dali lost power multiple times before striking the bridge.

"The NTSB is still investigating the electrical configuration following the first in-port blackout and potential impacts on the events during the accident voyage," the report states.

The Coast Guard and the FBI are also investigating the incident.

Scott is the Health Reporter for WYPR. @smaucionewypr
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