Ship that crashed into Baltimore bridge had electrical blackouts the day prior to collision

The ship that crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore and sent it plunging into the water nearly two months ago, suffered a pair of electrical blackouts the day before the crash, federal investigators said Tuesday.

The Dali continued to have electrical issues in the minutes before the March 26 collision, including two more blackouts that made it impossible for the crew to steer the vessel away from one of the bridge's supporting piers, according to new facts released by the independent National Transportation Safety Board.

Shortly after the first blackout on the night of the collision, the ship's emergency generator fired, but didn't generate enough power to allow the vessel to steer away — and on top of that, it quickly blacked out too. A tugboat had been sent to help steer the ship out of danger, but didn't arrive in time.

The NTSB's investigation is still ongoing, but early attention has focused on potential electrical and propulsion system failures on board the ship, a suspicion that factual data released Tuesday underscores.

According to the new report, the fuel the ship had been using does not appear to have been at issue, and the crew tested negative for drugs and alcohol.

While six construction workers perished in the accident, the report revealed that a road maintenance inspector was able to run north to the nearest surviving span in the moments before the bridge collapsed. Another construction worker who fell into the water was rescued by a Maryland Department of Transportation police boat only minutes afterward.

Costs of the crash, which closed waterborne access to one of the largest ports on the Eastern Seaboard, are only just beginning to be understood. Earlier this month the state of Maryland said rebuilding the span will take up to $1.9 billion and four years.