Authorities say cargo on ship that downed Key Bridge poses ‘no immediate threat to the environment’
BALTIMORE — The cargo vessel that collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on Tuesday was carrying 56 containers of hazardous materials and had more than 1 million gallons of fuel on board at the time of the collision, raising concerns, though authorities said there was “no immediate threat to the environment.”
On Wednesday, National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy told reporters a senior hazmat investigator had reviewed the cargo and identified via the Singapore-flagged Dali’s ship manifest that 56 containers on board at the time held 764 tons of “mostly corrosives, flammable, and miscellaneous hazardous materials,” including lithium-ion batteries. The 984-foot ship, carrying 4,700 cargo containers, was minutes into a 27-day journey to Sri Lanka when it collided with the bridge’s support column at 1:27 a.m. on Tuesday.
Homendy said during the Wednesday news conference that she observed “some containers in the water” and others still on the ship that were “breached significantly” but that it was too “dangerous” to remove the submerged containers. There was a “visible sheen” on the water surface when investigators boarded the ship, raising questions about what hazardous materials may have leaked into the river, and potential impacts upon the water, air, and surrounding communities.
An EPA spokesperson said on Thursday that the Coast Guard, which it is assisting during the investigation, attributed the “sheen” to a “discharge of gasoline” during the initial collision.
“A sheen indicates a small amount that cannot be removed through EPA procedures,” spokesperson Kelly Offner said via email. She referred additional questions to the Coast Guard, which did not immediately respond Thursday.
Coast Guard Vice Adm. Peter Gautier said during a separate Wednesday briefing at the White House that the ship contained over 1.5 million gallons of fuel. Thirteen containers on the ship’s bow, which is resting on the bottom of the river, were destroyed when the bridge collapsed. Industrial hygienists said the 13 containers contained perfumes and soaps in a Thursday statement provided by the Coast Guard, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Maryland Department of the Environment, Maryland Transportation Authority, and Maryland State Police.
Another two containers containing nonhazardous materials fell overboard the ship, according to Gautier.
Jay Apperson, an MDE spokesperson, said via email the agency was conducting water samples of the river both “upriver and downriver” of the collision site, and would assist first responders to “mitigate any environmental concerns.”
Authorities from Coast Guard, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Maryland Department of the Environment, Maryland Transportation Authority, and Maryland State Police said in a joint statement on Thursday that they had established a 2,000-yard “safety zone” to protect “personnel, vessels, and the marine environment from the potential hazards associated with salvage work.”
They have also set up booms to contain potential oil spread.
“At this time, no atmospheric hazards have been detected and the Unified Command continues to ensure safety,” the statement read.
Upal Ghosh, a hydrologist at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, said environmental officials’ first priority would likely be making sure none of the intact containers were breached, and to ensure the remaining containers did not fall off during salvaging efforts, as the boat is in a “very precarious position.”
The 56 containers are a fraction of the thousands of containers on board the ship at time of the collision, which means any potential leakage could be “small scale,” Ghosh said.
Authorities will also need to determine any potential impacts it may have upon divers looking for four missing construction workers who are presumed dead after falling into the water after the bridge collapsed, he said. Officials identified two people, Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, on Wednesday after divers recovered their bodies from a submerged pickup truck.
“If you have containers that contain oily material, those things will, if they are breached, be releasing over time,” Ghosh said. Over time, any oil spills could begin to impact sea life, like crabs, clams, and worms.
“I would think if there is a release that goes down into the sediments under the water, it would be a local impact right there,” he said.
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(Baltimore Sun reporter Christine Condon contributed to this article.)
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