Baltimore port worker claims cargo ship suffered electrical issue days before crashing into Maryland Bridge

On early Tuesday morning, March 26, a container ship named Dali crashed into Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge, which led the entire structure to collapse into the 50-foot-deep Patapsco River. Two people were rescued after being plunged into the cold river. However, after an extensive search, the six missing construction workers who also fell into the river after the collision were presumed dead.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore confirmed in a press conference on Tuesday that the ship had a power failure before the collision. More recently, a Baltimore port worker confirmed to a CNN affiliate that the ship had "serious power outages" when it was anchored at the port. However, after the interview was published, the worker stated that she could not stand by her comments.

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Baltimore port worker believes that Dali should've never left the port but fails to stand by her comments

At around 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Baltimore, Maryland's Francis Scott Key Bridge plunged into the Patapsco River after it was hit by a container ship traveling at a speed of 9 miles an hour.

The ship named Dali was operated by the Synergy Group, owned by the Singapore-based Grace Ocean Pte., and chartered by Maersk, a Danish-based shipping company. The ship was on its way to Sri Lanka.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore confirmed in a press conference on Tuesday that the vessel's crew had sent out a Mayday call and notified authorities of a power issue before the collision. The governor confirmed that the crew had stated that the ship lost power. This allowed authorities to stop vehicles from crossing over the bridge.

However, the collision resulted in multiple vehicles and people plunging into the Patapsco River. Two people who took the fall were rescued, but six construction workers working on potholes on the bridge went missing. An extensive search was conducted using multiple tools, including sonar technology, divers, and helicopters, among other things.

On Tuesday evening, the U.S. Coast Guard revealed that they were suspending their active search and rescue efforts and transitioning into a "different phase." The six missing people were now presumed dead.

Executive director and general counsel of the American Pilots Association, Clay Diamond, who received information on what happened during the crash, told CNN that the pilot did everything possible to try and slow down and keep the ship from moving close to the bridge. He told the outlet:

"Just minutes before the bridge, there was a total blackout on the ship, meaning that the ship lost engine power and electrical power, it was a complete blackout."

The pilot rotated the rudder as far left as possible, dropped the anchor, and also called the pilot dispatch office to stop bridge traffic. Diamond added:

"Those were all the appropriate steps but it happened so quickly and with so little lead time … neither one of those maneuvers were enough."

Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley had stated early on Tuesday that there was an indication of the crash being intentional. At the moment, multiple agencies, led by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), are investigating the incident.

Amid all this, a CNN report revealed a few interesting claims about a Baltimore port worker. Container ship tracking company, Container Royalty, co-administrator Julie Mitchell stated that the Dali had been anchored at the Baltimore port for two days before the crash. She also claimed that the ship had its fair share of serious problems. She told the outlet:

"Those two days, they were having serious power outages… they had a severe electrical problem. It was total power failure, loss of engine power, everything."

She detailed one particular issue where refrigerated boxes had allegedly been tripping the breakers on board the ship multiple times. The mechanics were working on this problem, but she did not know if it was fixed. She said that major power issues on large vessels were not that common and that the current incident was a rare occasion. She stated:

"They shouldn't have let the ship leave port until they got it on under control."

However, the report was later removed from CNN and replaced with a notice that revealed that the subject told the CNN affiliate that she could not stand by her comments.