Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

Let me file that under fuck it.

I’d try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

Nothing worth doing is easy.

He really is that stupid.

When someone says they “love freedom”, rest assured they don’t mean yours.

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

Bad people in a position to do bad things will do bad things because they are bad people. End of story.

Oh FFS you might as well trust a 6-year-old with a flamethrower.

Fundamental belief of white supremacy: white people are presumed innocent, minorities are presumed guilty.

Republican also-rans: four mules fighting over a turnip.

I like political parties that aren’t owned by foreign adversaries.

In after Baud. Damn.

The republican caucus is covering themselves with something, and it’s not glory.

A democracy can’t function when people can’t distinguish facts from lies.

The low info voters probably won’t even notice or remember by their next lap around the goldfish bowl.

Optimism opens the door to great things.

If you are still in the gop, you are either an extremist yourself, or in bed with those who are.

If you still can’t see these things even now, maybe politics isn’t your forte and you should stop writing about it.

I conferred with the team and they all agree – still not tired of winning!

I’m more christian than these people and i’m an atheist.

You are here: Home / Science & Technology / Wednesday Evening Open Thread: Baltimore Bridge Updates

Wednesday Evening Open Thread: Baltimore Bridge Updates

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Three weeks! Time flies… Per the Associated Press, “Salvage crews race against the clock to remove massive chunks of fallen Baltimore bridge”:

Nearly three weeks since Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed under the impact of a wayward cargo ship, crews are using the largest crane on the Eastern Seaboard to haul the wreckage to a nearby salvage yard.

The heaviest section so far weighed about 450 tons (408 metric tons). In the salvage yard Monday morning, workers disassembled the metal trusses by attacking them with propane torches and a pair of giant shears that sliced them into more manageable pieces. Rising from the water nearby was the Chesapeake 1000, a floating crane with a storied history that includes helping the CIA retrieve part of a sunken Soviet submarine…

Salvage crews are hoping to recover the two remaining bodies once more of the debris has been removed. They’re also working toward their goal of opening a temporary channel later this month that would allow more commercial traffic to resume through the Port of Baltimore, which has remained largely closed since the March 26 collapse. Officials plan to reopen the port’s main channel by the end of May.

So far, over 1,000 tons (907 metric tons) of steel have been removed from the waterway. But the work is tedious, dangerous and incredibly complex, leaders of the operation said Monday during a visit to the salvage yard at Tradepoint Atlantic, the only maritime shipping terminal currently operating in the Port of Baltimore…

In the meantime, state leaders are echoing calls by President Joe Biden for Congress to authorize the federal government to pay for 100% of the cleanup and reconstruction. That would require bipartisan support, and some hard-line congressional Republicans have already suggested controversial demands to offset the funding…

Local news station WBAL-TV:

It has been a rough few weeks for port workers in Baltimore after the March 26 collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

Thousands of workers remain without work due to the collapse. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signed the Maryland Protecting Opportunities and Regional Trade (PORT) Act into law to provide immediate relief, but those impacted said it’s taking too long.

“In a case like this, relief needs to happen sooner than later, and it should’ve happened by now,” said Scott Cowan, president of the International Longshoremen’s Association Local No. 333, which represents thousands of workers.

Three weeks have passed since the bridge collapsed and paychecks have not hit port workers’ pockets.

“We have lost some jobs and the cargo is diminished down in the terminals. It’s gotten even slower. More layoffs have happened, and it’s going to continue to go in that direction,” Cowan told 11 News…

Three more relief programs authorized under the PORT Act are expected to launch Monday.

There’s also the Maryland Tough, Baltimore Strong Key Bridge fund. The team behind the fund said they’re still figuring out logistics before making direct cash available to port workers.

The Unified Command announced Monday that a fourth body was recovered from the Patapsco River weeks after the Baltimore Key Bridge crumbled in the water.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has identified the missing victim. However, at the family’s request, their identity will not be revealed…

Hours before leaving port, the massive container ship that caused the deadly collapse of a Baltimore bridge experienced apparent electrical problems, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Monday, the same day FBI agents boarded the vessel amid a criminal investigation into the circumstances leading up to the catastrophe.

The Dali departed Baltimore’s port early on March 26 laden with cargo destined for Sri Lanka. It lost power before reaching open water and struck one of the supports for Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing the span to collapse into the Patapsco River and sending six members of a road repair crew plummeting to their deaths. Two of the victims are still unaccounted for…

Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said last week the investigation is focused on the ship’s electrical system generally. The ship experienced power issues moments before the crash, as is evident in videos that show its lights going out and coming back on.

Homendy said information gleaned from the vessel’s voyage data recorder is relatively basic, “so that information in the engine room will help us tremendously.”

The FBI is now conducting a criminal investigation into the bridge collapse that is focused on the circumstances leading up to it and whether all federal laws were followed, according to a different person familiar with the matter. The person wasn’t authorized to discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity.

FBI agents were aboard the cargo ship on Monday conducting court-authorized law enforcement activity, the agency said in a statement. It didn’t elaborate and said it wouldn’t comment further on the investigation, which was first reported by The Washington Post.

Meanwhile, Mayor Brandon Scott issued a statement Monday announcing a partnership with two law firms to “launch legal action to hold the wrongdoers responsible” and mitigate harm to the people of Baltimore. He said the city needs to act quickly to protect its own interests…

The Dali is managed by Synergy Marine Group and owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd., both of Singapore. Danish shipping giant Maersk chartered the Dali.

Synergy and Grace Ocean filed a court petition soon after the collapse seeking to limit their legal liability — a routine procedure for cases litigated under U.S. maritime law. Their joint filing seeks to cap the companies’ liability at roughly $43.6 million. It estimates that the vessel itself is valued at up to $90 million and was owed over $1.1 million in income from freight. The estimate also deducts two major expenses: at least $28 million in repair costs and at least $19.5 million in salvage costs.

“Due to the magnitude of the incident, there are various government agencies conducting investigations, in which we are fully participating,” Synergy spokesperson Darrell Wilson said in a statement Monday. “Out of respect for these investigations and any future legal proceedings, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.”

The companies filed their petition under a provision of an 1851 maritime law that allows them to seek to limit their liability to the value of the vessel’s remains after a casualty…

The investigations come amid concerns about the safety of thousands of U.S. bridges and days after more than two dozen river barges broke loose and struck a closed span in Pittsburgh.

Reader Interactions

55Comments

  2. 2.

    Jackie

    I’m so glad another body was recovered. I so hope the last two remains are found soon. The families impacted need closure.

    Thanks for posting this post, AL.

  3. 3.

    SpaceUnit

    I’ve got a Jeep that’s worth about 5K and half a million in liability coverage.  Something ain’t right here.

  4. 4.

    Nukular Biskits

    While I truly feel for the families of the six workers lost, I am still amazed that only six people lost their lives.

    As for Republicans who keep demanding that any federal assistance for this be offset by spending cuts elsewhere, I’d recommend they draw up a list of federal grants/spending/etc in their own districts they’re willing to sacrifice.

  6. 6.

    Nukular Biskits

    @Baud:

    It’s inevitable that’ll happen … but they (meaning “fiscally conservative Republicans”) never seem to get that.

    In my own neck of the woods, 5 out of the 6 congresscritters I have are GOP (3 Reps, both Senators).  If I’m not mistake, all of them and my asshat governor Tate Reeves have been extolling the virtues of federal socialism assistance as a result of having all MS counties declared a disaster area from the 2023 drought AND a serious infestation of the pine beetle.

    It’ll be interesting to see if any of them demand offsets to assist Baltimore as I don’t recall any of them demanding offsets for MS to get any of that sweet, sweet socialism federal assistance.

  7. 7.

    wjca

    @SpaceUnit: I’ve got a Jeep that’s worth about 5K and half a million in liability coverage.  Something ain’t right here.

    To get the same treatment they are asking for, a) your jeep would have to be sea-going, and b) you’d have to petition the court any time there was an accident.  a) being the real kicker here.

  10. 10.

    Nukular Biskits

    @Baud:

    We libs managed to defeat Trump after four years without becoming monsters. That may not hold if the Republicans regain power.

    The educated liberal in me loathes the idea of karmic payback.

    (With apologies to a blogger who I can’t remember now) my inner redneck says, “It’s about damned time.”

    Edit:  Found it – Jesus’ General

  12. 12.

    Dan B

    I read that when the boat was in port alarms on the refrigerated containers kept going off due to variable electricity.  They headed out to sea anyway.

  15. 15.

    Gvg

    @Dan B: Wouldn’t that mean those contents were almost guaranteed to arrive spoiled? And what kind of captain thinks it’s a good idea to lose power on the high seas? That strikes me as insane. First storm that comes along could roll them over.

    I had not heard they had problems in port. That is reason to investigate for criminal actions.

    Are there a lot of cargo ships run that badly?

  16. 16.

    eclare

    It’s hard for me to wrap my head around something that weighs 450 tons.  And then to be able to lift it…

  17. 17.

    Gvg

    @smith: LOL! Priceless. Now can we get film of someone telling her how stupid that is? That it is a metaphor for people who don’t live in reality?

  19. 19.

    columbusqueen

    Remind the misbegotten Republicans that their districts will have to go without next time disaster strikes. And I think 100 lasers up MTG’s ass is even better.

  20. 20.

    smith

    @Gvg: The funny thing to me is that she got so much flak for the Jewish space lasers when she first started hallucinating about them that she was forced to to backtrack (“well, some people are saying”), and now she wants to make them a reality? I mean does she have to propose this amendment to the Israel funding bill?

  26. 26.

    wjca

    @sdhays: Provide money for shoving no less than 10 space lasers up Congresswoman Greene’s ass.

    What did those poor, blameless, space lasers ever do to you, that you should subject them to such a horrid fate?

    EDT I see David [variable] Koch got there first.

  27. 27.

    Manyakitty

    @smith: she also tagged some bullshit about enlisting in the Ukrainian military to THAT bill. I really wish she’d go back to screwing her way through CrossFit.

  28. 28.

    Ned F

    As a metal nerd, I think the reporter misunderstood the using of propane torches to cut up bridge supports. You can buy those in the hardware store. Oxy acetylene cutting torches are the go to, but nowadays they probably use plasma cutters. I guess they could use space lasers too if you crank them up to 11.

  29. 29.

    Harrison Wesley

    @smith: She’s pushing for some sort of tech transfer, a kind of squid no go, or whatever snotty libtards call it, in return for the aid package.  Unlike Ukraine, which gets a loan if it gets anything at all.

  31. 31.

    scav

    Greenes everywhere are altering the spelling of their last name to avoid the shame and dirty looks.

  34. 34.

    Harrison Wesley

    And WTF is the deal with space lasers at the border?  We’re experiencing a wave of Klingon immigrants?

  37. 37.

    frosty

    @Ned F: ​Kudos for the Spinal Tap reference! Where would we be without that one scene of Nigel Tufnel explaining why his amp is louder than everyone else’s?I caught the propane torch reference too. I see a lot of dumb reporting – can’t check everything when you’re on deadline and reporters are all generalists, really.​​

  43. 43.

    Matt McIrvin

    @HumboldtBlue: The funny thing is, there was no particular reason for that junk to come down in Florida, could have been just about anywhere including most of the contiguous US. (The ISS orbit is pitched at a high enough inclination that they can launch to it from Baikonur, so it goes much further north than your typical American satellite launched from Florida.)

  44. 44.

    Mousebumples

    https://bsky.app/profile/trisalvagni.bsky.social/post/3kqejvlam2s22 (must be logged in)

    “…the governors of six Southern states warned their residents that joining the United Auto Workers would threaten jobs and “the values we live by.””

    The values the GOP lives by are keeping their citizens poor, uneducated, & exploiting them for votes & self-enrichment. But you already knew that.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/04/16/republican-governors-uaw/

  45. 45.

    Mousebumples

    https://bsky.app/profile/dell.bsky.social/post/3kqebsqck2l2g

    Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act, a bill banning police agencies from purchasing Americans’ location data, has passed by the House in a 220-to-197 vote.

    Big victory for @wyden.senate.gov

     

    https://bsky.app/profile/wyden.senate.gov/post/3kqedo2xiua2r

    Can confirm. This is a huge and necessary win for Americans’ privacy, particularly after the Supreme Court gutted privacy protections under Roe. Now it’s time for the Senate to do its job and follow suit.

  46. 46.

    Mr. Bemused Senior

    Re. MTG’s proposed amendment and Jared Moskowitz’ rejoinder…

    @Miss Bianca: OK, I’m easily amused.

    It’s so easy to point and laugh. “Any member of Congress … shall be required to conscript …” It reminds me of Marco Rubio’s “dispel with”.  Perhaps we can give him a mild pass, he was on camera.

    MTG submitted this in writing. “define:conscript” baby, it’s easy on Google.

  50. 50.

    Martin

    @Matt McIrvin: There sort of is, though. When they release this kind of stuff they do so with the timing that I’ll land just east of Florida in case something like this happens – they don’t want it landing over a foreign nation, etc. So if it were going to hit land, about the only possibly place it could hit is Florida. There’s a lot of survivors bias to this.

  54. 54.

    wjca

    @Martin: land just east of Florida in case something like this happens – they don’t want it landing over a foreign nation, etc.

    It just seems like a odd choice.  If you’re OK with a water landing, there’s a lot more ocean around Hawai’i, and the nearest foreign nation is substantially further away (and less hostile, too).  If you want to come down on land, there’s lots of the mountain west with far fewer houses that could get hit compared to Florida.

  55. 55.

    Ruckus

    @Gvg:

    Ocean going ships are not the same as other freight movement systems. The salt, the water the load, they all affect the mechanical/electrical systems. And of course the cost to fix them can be a bit much. (That word bit is doing a hell of a lot of work) I was a department head on a USN ship just over a half a century ago and anything and everything can go wrong for a lot of reasons. I suspect that a lot of the equipment is better today than back then, most everything else is. All that said, it is still a harsh environment. And things go wrong, and almost always at the worst time. Now add on the cost (and profit) of operating/maintaining/repairing a multimillion dollar ship and you are talking a not insignificant amount of money. (There is always money involved, and in this day and age the amounts can be staggering, both on the plus and minus side) None of this is an excuse to not do the work or to not maintain the ship. But. And it is a huge, firm, round but. Think of a ship as an extremely large truck that floats. It’s a mechanical device and things go wrong. Never had your car break down or at least act up? You do the work (or have the work done) to fix it. That does not mean it will not stop working properly once again. At any time. The fact than most machines do not stop working properly/regularly is actually rather encouraging. But in this day and age where things are made better because the machines that make them are better and the learning experience of manufacturing over the last 100 yrs has gotten rather significantly better, that doesn’t mean that they can’t go badly wrong and most often at the very worst time. This was one of those times.

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