After Baltimore accident: How safe are our bridges and harbors?

After Baltimore accident: How safe are our bridges and harbors? | DW News

Місяць тому

In the United States, a huge search and rescue mission to find 6 missing workers after a major bridge collapsed has been suspended. Authorities in Baltimore believe there is no hope of finding them alive. The Francis Scott Key Bridge came down after being rammed by a packed container ship when it lost power on Tuesday morning. The federal government has promised money and resources to rebuild the bridge. Its collapse has indefinitely shut down the port of Baltimore, one of the biggest in the US.
2:26 DW talks to Ulf Kaspera, Director of Germany's Federal Bureau of Maritime Casualty Investigation about how similar disasters can be prevented.
7:56 DW Washington correspondent Stefan Simons has more
#baltimore #collision #bridgecollapse
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КОМЕНТАРІ: 51

@SkyGlitchGalaxy Місяць тому

Given what happened, looks like the humans involved did a great job in minimising the damage

@dutchman7623 Місяць тому

This explains why there are NO bridges at Rotterdam, Antwerp, or London, between container harbor and sea. There have been no problems with the Channel Tunnel, the Westerschelde Tunnel, nor the Kennedy Tunnel. If you want to build a 'single point of failure' construction, you have to protect that point, or not built it! Ships of this size pass daily, it was a disaster that was predictable.

@coyote75 Місяць тому

This is a really good point. They’re already talking about rebuilding the bridge. A tunnel would be a better option. However this route is used to transport hazardous materials which by law cannot be transported via tunnels. There are tunnels further into Baltimore harbour that are off limits to these vehicles & that traffic is diverted to this bridge.

@LisaSamaritan Місяць тому

They actually planned a tunnel to begin with but came to the conclusion that they couldn't afford it, and built a bridge instead. Having said that. They have dredged the channel in more recent years, to be able to take on bigger chips. And that is something that might not have been possible if they built a tunnel in the first place.

@krollpeter Місяць тому

This bridge was build during a time when there were no such huge ships in these waters. There are bridges which have barriers near bridge structures that deflect or ground ships in case of a collision danger. Also, a bridge can be constructed in a way so that the collision-segment only is affected. I am not that smart, I was told this by someone who is in the job of bridge engineering.

@dutchman7623 29 днів тому

@@krollpeter Shouldn't the harbor authority anticipate on changing circumstances?

@krollpeter 29 днів тому

@@dutchman7623 yea, and probably use tug boats for such big vessels

@psnaris Місяць тому

Thousands of vessels pass under bridges every day without hitting anything. So the answer to your question is "yes".

@PingMe23 Місяць тому

I agree fully with the governor. That bridge didn't stand a chance against a ship that size. When it was built in the 1970's it was probably rated to take a hit from ships of the time. But not today's ships. Greed has dictcated the evolution of the size of these ships. Our rabid need for more and more has created bigger and bigger ships in order to move goods in bulk for less money. This was inevitable and it's amazing that it hasn't happened sooner.

@0onpoint Місяць тому

Poor twin towers

@YudazOwn Місяць тому

It fell like a deck of cards

@dutchman7623 Місяць тому

Trucks get bigger as well, a bridge for horse and wagon has to be replaced. You do not sit back and wait until it collapses! Nor act surprised when it does.

@lorenzoblum868 Місяць тому

Greed is the culprit as always.

@0onpoint Місяць тому

Don’t be surprised by terrorism

@Carewolf 28 днів тому

We have embarkments around pillars that would avoid hits like that. Places that does not can be made stronger. The Great Belt bridge in Denmark got hit by Russian cargo ship 20 years ago, and just trashed the ship.

@annan7728 Місяць тому

The collapsed may be not only the bridge but the country. Too many clueless activities and lacking the necessary protections indicates the country is losing herself uncontrollably.

@wooden2187 Місяць тому

It's not unprecedented, most modern countries use tugs

@carlo9524 Місяць тому

Duh! Bridges arent designed for playing bumper to an almost 95,000 MT ship.

@user-fz8fy4zl1c Місяць тому

Especially when hit at full throttle!

@GaddarKerim1 Місяць тому

This expert is not good at his job. I can list a few safety precautions to prevent this type of crashes.

@YudazOwn Місяць тому

The ship is practically bigger than the bridge was. No man made structure on earth could take getting rammed by that ship and remain erect. Exclude the pyramid (its construction is debated*)

@JH-ph3qg Місяць тому

Amazing are not physical obstructions in place to protect the bridge to also to protect life....just a matter of time. It is with open to mishap!! Same mentality as at Boeing...shareholders and investor class in charge with low taxes for them!!

@VitalityMassage Місяць тому

Do you have a brain? "Well, um..."

@lachlanmcneish346 Місяць тому

There’s something very off about this container ship hitting the bridge. I’ve worked in the maritime industry. Somethings not adding up………

@mbonisenimutaheli1204 Місяць тому

then go and add it up

@alphariusomegon4819 Місяць тому

The title of this segment is goofy, decades have gone by without a single boat hitting a bridge, that’s why this is such big news, it’s already RARE. Pffk.

@jackshaftoe1715 Місяць тому

NO, WE'RE DOOMED ! EVERY BRIDGE IN THE COUNTRY HAS A SHIP AIMED AT IT !

@Treklovful Місяць тому

Rumour: Ukraine is learning the lessons from this incident for the Kerch bridge: Just having a large ship to hit this bridge will destroy it. How to arrange for this? That's for the Ukrainian secret service to work out. They've done very interesting actions before......

@sanjuansteve Місяць тому

All bridges should have tug boat defenders.

@patrickg.871 Місяць тому

should use those tax dollars for translators for the second guy, the amount of brabbling, just let him speak german Lol

@pumalee1997 Місяць тому

doufu bridge.

@Mac-ew1gv Місяць тому

I hope the ship had insurance

@Peter_Jenner Місяць тому

*Harbours

@hanro7430 Місяць тому

*different dialects with different spellings. British english is not the master variant.

@metahduh4003 Місяць тому

SUE SINGAPORE FOR NEGLIGENCE ON BOAT CHECK.

@Carewolf 28 днів тому

They make no checks, that is why the ship is registered there. If they got stricter, it would be registered as a ship from some landlocked state with no facilities to inspect ships.