Posted on 04/18/24
| News Source: FOX45
Baltimore, MD - Apr. 18, 2024 - Three weeks after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, new information is surfacing surrounding the moments leading up to the crash and potential warning signs that might have been missed.
In an exclusive interview with Fox45 News, a long-time crane operator for the Port of Baltimore claims the ship was experiencing electric failures even before left the dock. Those claims come as FBI agents boarded the vessel this week to conduct a criminal investigation into the catastrophe.
Minutes before crashing, chilling video captures the Dali losing power, lights flashing on and off. Crews made a desperate mayday call mid-departure, but it was too late to save the bridge or the six construction workers who lost their lives in the collapse. Now, questions and suspicions remain over the vessel’s condition hours prior.
According to crane operator Damian Tucker, he witnessed electrical red flags firsthand.
“I ended up working 15 hours on that vessel,” he said, “I was radioed up from the reefer mechanic and some of the longshoremen on a ship that was lashing containers that night that they were having electrical problems getting power to the reefers.”
Reefers are refrigerated cargo containers used to transport perishable goods. In the two decades Tucker has worked at the Port of Baltimore, loading and unloading thousands of reefers, he says that type of malfunction is extremely rare.
“It doesn't happen often,” he said.
Tucker says he’s only seen it happen twice after 23 years on the job.
Echoing his account, the Associated Press recently quoted an anonymous source with “knowledge of the situation” who claimed while the ship was docked “alarms went off on some of its refrigerated containers, indicating an inconsistent power supply.”
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) would not confirm or deny the claims to FOX45 on Wednesday. Instead, they said a preliminary report of their investigation will be released in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, the Maryland Port Authority and Coast Guard have declined to comment.