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Inside Below Deck Sailing Yacht ’s Crash, and the Dramatic Aftermath

By Julie Miller

Below Deck viewers have survived kitchen fires, nightmare charter guests , dramatic dismissals, drug scandals , and soured romantic relationships. But Monday’s episode of Below Deck Sailing Yacht, “Total Ship Show,” is unprecedented in franchise history, in terms of its sheer disaster quotient. Within the first five minutes of the episode, the Parsifal yacht crashes into a stone dock in high winds, destroying the end of the vessel and totaling Captain Glenn Shephard ’s already-dented ego. (Last week, Parsifal suffered a less serious collision. We hope the sailing yacht is not cursed.) The rest of the episode unravels like a high-paced thriller set aboard an out-of-control luxury yacht.

The villains: the shrill, gluten-free charter guests, who are too self-involved to notice the Parsifal ’s jacked transom door. The dramatic B-plot: the chef screwing up a five-course meal by serving steak after dessert. As if this were not enough action for a single episode, there is also an STD scare that forces an otherwise respectable woman to reckon with an indiscretion.

“It was almost like an embarrassment of riches,” said Below Deck executive producer Courtland Cox, of the chart-topping chaos in Croatia. “It’s amazing that this was all happening, but it’s also difficult to tell all of these stories in an interesting way within a limited amount of time per episode.” Some viewers complained that the season was starting off too smoothly, but Cox trusted the process and knew that such interesting cast members would yield climactic story lines. “With any great narrative structure, you want to have peaks and valleys that eventually crescendo into something interesting…. The yacht crashing, guests being crazy, and Jean-Luc [Cerza Lanaux] being worried about getting an STD, all that stuff is the seasoning.”

Ahead, Cox and Parsifal chief stew Daisy Kelliher take us behind the scenes of Monday’s bombshell episode to answer all of our burning questions—about everything from the crash to the onboard romances, including Dani’s pregnancy announcement.

Executive producer Cox was tucked away in a tiny control room on the Parsifal during both accidents, where he was able to watch what was happening from three different camera vantage points, and hear what was happening from the walkie-talkie dialogue on deck. Cox said that he knew that the Parsifal was going to hit the dock about five seconds before it happened—when first mate Gary King began calling out the shrinking measurements between the yacht and the dock, but the boat, because of the intense wind and swell, kept hurtling toward the dock at full speed. Because of a mechanical error that short-circuited the thrusters, Captain Glenn was not able to propel the vessel in the reverse direction.

As the ship sped toward the dock, the Below Deck producer juggled a contradictory range of concerns: the fear of a captive passenger aboard an out-of-control vessel; worry for his fellow shipmates; heartbreak for Captain Glenn, who was about to bite it in front of multiple cameras; and, conversely, the shark-like instincts of a reality-TV producer keen to capture the chaotic melee in all of its gruesome glory.

“The human part of me, my heart aches for Glenn,” Cox told Vanity Fair. Still, he continued, “My job is to capture what’s actually happening—so we told our camera operators, ‘Stay on Glenn.’ We don’t push right up in his face or get in his way, but the story in the moment was that Glenn hit the dock. How was he going to rectify the situation?”

In addition to seeing the crash, viewers also witness Captain Glenn’s spirit breaking close up—as the sweet Parsifal pilot realizes, in devastatingly real time, that he has not only incurred thousands of dollars in yacht damages, but has done so with a camera trained on him.

“I probably watched this episode 15 times in various incarnations, and every time I see Glenn’s face in the immediate aftermath of hitting that dock, I still get very emotional,” said Cox. “It’s a catastrophic moment for any yacht captain when you do damage to a boat. It’s the worst possible thing. And I also know that that’s compounded by a factor of a million because there are TV cameras on you.”

Cox has produced 16 seasons’ worth of Below Deck, and called the crash “the second-most intense moment ever on the series.” (The first-most intense was a near-death accident in 2018 during which deckhand Ashton Pienaar was pulled overboard after his ankle was caught in ropes.) “As a producer, it’s amazingly compelling. But as a person onboard, it’s terrifying…. But Glenn is a consummate professional. He didn’t try to deflect or make excuses or try to tap dance his way out of it. He went quickly into crisis mode, damage mode.”

Parsifal chief stew Daisy Kelliher said that watching the crash in the episode was worse than living it, “because I was downstairs when it happened. I have never seen a boat that crashed the dock or been in a boat that crashed the dock.”

By Savannah Walsh

By Richard Lawson

By Joy Press

Speaking about Glenn, Kelliher said, “He was pretty upset at the time, but you quickly calm down. It was an accident, and the main thing is nobody got hurt. It’s like banging your car. You get the insurance sorted. You learn from it. And you move on.”

How quickly did the episode’s events happen in real life?

The unfolded over the course of about 72 hours, according to Cox. “The boat hits the dock, it looks terrible, and Glenn’s like, ‘Well, the guests are getting here in four hours.’… The crew did a great job at kind of compartmentalizing, and putting the dock behind us as these charter guests come on. And the story becomes about J.L.’ s anxiety about the STD, and [chef] Natasha’s anxiety about these guests having crazy demands that are emotionally taxing on the heels of a traumatic event…. It’s exhausting for them.”

What did producers make of another unprecedented plot twist: J.L.’s on-camera concerns about a potential sexually transmitted disease?

This twist surprised even Cox. “I’m a fossil who grew up in the ’70s and ’80s,” said Cox. “What was going through my head was, ‘There’s a very easy way he could have prevented this—by using some kind of protection. If you roll the dice, you kinda gotta accept what happens to you. I’m not a heartless monster TV producer. I don’t want anyone to ever suffer or go through something they have an existential crisis over. In that moment, you’re hoping that it’s at least one of the lesser STDs that is easily treated.”

When did producers discover that Dani was pregnant? (The cast member revealed her pregnancy on Instagram last month.)

“Dani brought it to our attention when we were pretty far into the postproduction process,” said Cox. “Even once Dani found out, I think she kind of wanted to sit with [the news] herself. Then she let us know and said, ‘Hey, just so you know, I’m pregnant.’ We said, ‘Okay, great.’ I left that up to her and how much information she wanted to give us. My first reaction was, ‘That’s fantastic. Congratulations.’ Because she made it clear throughout the season that she wanted a family. The rest of that is for Dani to figure out.”

“I really don’t ask Dani much about it,” added Kelliher in a separate phone call. “I’m very aware that that she probably feels like she’s explaining herself to a lot of people. So I try and respect her privacy. We’ve spoken a little about it, but I figure the less I know the better.”

Do Daisy and Natasha eventually get to a place of mutual understanding and respect?

“I didn’t mind her,” said Kelliher. “On the show it looks like we hated each other. We were very civil with each other, and would laugh and sit with each other. It wasn’t constant arguing—that only came when it was time to serve meals…. At that stage, I had kind of given up, because I had tried everything. She didn’t want my help. She didn’t want to communicate with me…. I’m asking you if you’re serving five courses, you’re telling me no. I could stand here and keep arguing, but I wasn’t going to win in this.… We have a good relationship now. I have respect for her. But that [tension] never changes.”

What is Daisy’s read on the love triangle tensions between Gary, Sydney, and Alli?

“I wish I had been there for some of the conversations [between the three of them], because I don’t think they would have escalated as much,” said Kelliher. “I do think Sydney was pretty intense. I knew she was upset and understood why she was upset. If you’re a girl, it’s embarrassing if somebody chooses someone over you…. But some of the things she said were quite mean to Ali, and I didn’t really like that. If I had been there, that wouldn’t have happened because I wouldn’t have allowed it.”

“I’ve definitely seen love triangles. I’ve been involved in love triangles. This was intense because it escalated so quickly. I didn’t really get it. I guess maybe we’re all intense people—maybe that’s why you do a TV show about yachting. But I did find the whole thing a bit weird from all sides. I was like, ‘We’ve known each other [for] like three weeks…and don’t even know each others’ last names.’ Settle down.”

Below Deck Sailing Yacht airs on Bravo at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

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Below Deck Sailing Yacht ’s Boat Crash Was Worse Than It Looked in All Those Clips

The collision between Gary and Daisy during the Below Deck Sailing Yacht crew ’s day off had nothing on what was to come. May 10’s episode finally brought the boat crash that Below Deck Sailing Yacht had been teasing since before the season started, and somehow, it was even worse than it seemed in all those clips. The problems began on a particularly windy morning, hours before the crew needed to pick up guests for their next charter. Soon after deckhand Sydney Zaruba noticed the wind was turning the boat, the stern started scraping against the dock. To get away, the crew had to unplug the yacht from shore power on the dock — which became a problem of its own once the boat was away from the dock, but unable to move in the wind. With chief engineer Colin Macrae off the boat on some chief-engineer business, first mate Gary King had to figure out Parsifal III ’s generator system to get the yacht power. But their worries didn’t end once Gary got power to the boat — the deck crew then had to get the anchors up after they’d been dragging. And you thought sailing was stressful!

After the yacht got safely away from the dock, the crew surveyed the boat’s scratches. “It could’ve been a lot more serious damage,” Captain Glenn Shepard said in a confessional. “Like a season-ending kind of damage.” “Someone could lose their life in a situation like this,” reflected deckhand Jean-Luc Cerza-Lanaux. And once Colin got back on board, he added that “it would’ve been a totally different situation” if Gary hadn’t been able to turn on the generator. “I think Gary saved our ass.”

As it turned out, though, the crew wasn’t out of the woods. When they headed back to the dock to pick up guests, they ran into more issues with the strong winds. “Here we go again, with the wind blowing us into the dock,” Gary said in a confessional. “We literally cannot catch a break.” As the crew began docking the boat, Parsifal III ’s bow thrusters stopped working in the wind — sending the boat right into the dock for a second time, in the even-worse crash that we saw in the season’s trailer.

Will this one be the “season-ending kind of damage” Captain Glenn talked about? While the episode closes on a particularly stressful “To be continued …” Glenn shared on a pre-season Reddit AMA that it still “could have been a lot worse. “A repair like that would probably run $10k-$20k,” he wrote, adding that the boat already needed to be repainted. “That is always covered by insurance,” he added. “The boats are well insured.”

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The Real Cause Of Below Deck Sailing Yacht's Scary Boat Crash

Below Deck Sailing Yacht fans can't get over season two's bombshell moment — a.k.a. that terrifying boat crash at the center of it all. Although the latest season is jam-packed with all the nautical drama, both below and above deck, the crash is what we can't stop thinking about. Luckily, Captain Glenn Shephard gave all the details on the accident to E! News , and to be honest, it's still pretty scary!

In the moment that has our hearts racing, the Parsifal III can be seen crashing into a docking wall, all the while Captain Glenn yells out expletives. While the Captain is known to be calm, cool, and collected, the alarming incident was enough to make him lose it.

As Captain Glenn explained to E! News , the crash was "the first time that's happened." As he explained, it is "fortunate it's the first time, but unfortunate that it happened." Adding to his regret, the Captain is also sorry for his use of curse words — but adamant that the event warranted it. As he told the outlet, he is "a sailor" after all, and that he "swear[s] occasionally." He stated, "obviously I get frustrated and things happened ... when something like that happens, it's pretty big."

Everything to know about Below Deck Sailing Yacht season two's boat crash

The Captain told Showbiz Cheat Sheet his cursing was due to thinking the crash was much worse. He explained, "In the end, it's not quite as bad as I feared. So I may have overreacted ... but yeah, it's pretty serious."

So what caused the crash in the first place? As the sailor described, it was all due to a "throttle malfunction." He continued, "there is a computer in between the throttles and the propeller to manage the load on the engine ... I was using a maneuver mode that I don't usually use, and I think my normal actions, in that mode, was a bit too much for the computer" (via E! News ). Not used to the mode at hand, the boat soon slammed into the dock – which was a bit embarrassing for the seasoned expert.

As the Captain stated, "I've avoided [crashing] all my career and, of course, now with the cameras rolling it happens." That being said, he isn't letting it get to him, and we're here for it! Although he made it clear that "hitting the dock like that can be a season-ending incident," he reminded everyone that these "things do happen." But haters are of course gonna hate, and Captain Glenn knows he will "take a lot of flak" for the incident.

Although not sailing experts ourselves, we're more than a bit addicted to this new season of Below Deck Sailing Yacht  — and no, as promised by Captain Glenn himself, he didn't just crash "for the drama." Whew!

Below Deck Sailing Yacht 's Sydney Zaruba Teases Aftermath of Boat Crash

In an exclusive chat with e news, below deck sailing yacht 's sydney zaruba discussed the docking drama that sent the crew into action. see what she had to say..

The drama is just getting started.

In an exclusive chat with E! News, deckhand Sydney Zaruba teased the aftermath of the boat crash that occurred in the May 10 episode of Below Deck Sailing Yacht . As E! News readers well know, the latest episode of the Bravo hit featured the mega-yacht Parsifal III making contact with a docking wall twice .

"Let's just say, when a super yacht hits a dock it's never a good thing," she teased. "The first damage was going to be expensive, the second damage is gonna be exponentially times that."

While Sydney stayed relatively tight lipped on the situation following the crash, she did note that this was something "you never want…to happen." Although, the deckhand did reveal that docking drama isn't uncommon in the industry.

"There's three types of captains, I like to say," she explained. "There's captains who have hit the dock, captains who have yet to hit the dock and captains who have lied about hitting the dock."

For those who missed last week's episode, Parsifal III first incurred some damage after strong winds caused it to scrape against the dock. Later on, at a different dock, a malfunction with the ship caused it to fully collide with the docking wall.

Still, Sydney called the incident "another day on the boat," before adding, "If you're in the industry long enough, you're gonna see it."

Although the episode's second crash appeared to be pretty disastrous, Sydney was still "really proud" with how the crew handled the first incident. Fans of the show will recall that, during the initial collision, it was Sydney who spotted that the ship was heading "really far to starboard."

"In the moment, it's a bit like, heart-stopping," she recalled. "As a sailor, I knew the anchor was dragging, and you sense something's wrong before you actually know something's wrong."

However, Sydney made it clear that the handling of the first incident required a team effort, shouting out Captain Glenn Shephard , Gary King , Colin Macrae and Jean-Luc Cerza Lanaux .

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"For a worst-case scenario situation, it went down the best way possible I think," she concluded. "On our side, we did the best anybody could've asked us to do."

As for how they handled the second collision? You're gonna have to watch tonight's episode to find out.

Below Deck Sailing Yacht airs Mondays at 9 p.m. on Bravo.

Don't forget, you can stream your favorite Bravo shows on Peacock .

(E!, Bravo and Peacock are all part of the NBCUniversal family.)

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Total Ship Show

Glenn reels in the aftermath of the boat crash. After assessing the damage, the crew does their best to get the boat - and their mindset - into charter-ready condition… but a high-maintenance group of female guests only sends the crew further into a spiral. A thunderstorm threatens the guests' first dinner, and Natasha only adds to the chaos when she suddenly decides to remove courses from the dinner menu, leaving the guests hungry for more. When Jean-Luc reveals to Dani that he may have given her an STD, things really get turbulent.

Season 2 - Episodes

Running on Fumes

Nookie Mistake

Smoldering Secrets

Barrie’d Alive

Hollandaze and Bustiers

Throuple Trouble

The Scorning After

Panic on a Tack

Knotty Knotty

Crash Boom Bang!

Nip N Slide

No Shirt, No Clue, Big Problems

Sexual Heeling

“Last Call for Parsifal!”

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Crash Boom Bang!

• Episode aired May 10, 2021

The crew is excited to enjoy a much-need day off together, but things get touchy when the couples' PDA goes on full display. Amidst the lovers vs non-lovers quarrel, Sydney drops bombs that ... Read all The crew is excited to enjoy a much-need day off together, but things get touchy when the couples' PDA goes on full display. Amidst the lovers vs non-lovers quarrel, Sydney drops bombs that re-ignite Daisy and Gary's interior vs exterior feud. While at the dock, high winds blow P... Read all The crew is excited to enjoy a much-need day off together, but things get touchy when the couples' PDA goes on full display. Amidst the lovers vs non-lovers quarrel, Sydney drops bombs that re-ignite Daisy and Gary's interior vs exterior feud. While at the dock, high winds blow Parsifal straight into the dock. Glenn and the deck team scramble to bring the boat to safe... Read all

• Mark Cronin
• Doug Henning
• Rebecca Taylor Henning
• Jean-Luc Cerza Lanaux
• Natasha De Bourg

• Self - Deckhand

• Self - Chef

• Self - 3rd Steward

• Self - Chief Steward

• Self - First Mate

• Self - Chief Engineer

• Self - Captain

• Self - 2nd Steward

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• May 10, 2021 (United States)
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Baltimore Key Bridge collapsed in under 40 seconds, video shows

Rescuers suspended a search for survivors on Tuesday evening after a massive container ship struck Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge in the early morning, causing it to collapse into the Patapsco River below, officials said.

Marine Terminal

Approximate path

of freighter

Section of bridge

that collapsed

Transmission line

Location where freighter

Patapsco River

Source: Landsat imagery via Google Earth

Hawkins Point

The disaster halted shipping in the Port of Baltimore and severed the city’s Beltway, which is also a major artery in the busy D.C.-to-New York corridor.

Officials said a crew of at least eight construction workers repairing potholes on the bridge at the time plunged into the water. Two were pulled from the water during the search, one in serious condition and the other uninjured.

Baltimore bridge collapse

Six people who were unaccounted for after the bridge collapse are presumed dead, officials said. Efforts to find them were suspended around 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

The cargo ship, Dali, was captured in live-stream video moving toward the bridge at 1:24 a.m. Over the course of four minutes the lights on the ship went off and on, indicating that the power was going in and out.

01:24:22 a.m.

Dali moves southeast toward Francis Scott Key Bridge

01:24:33 a.m.

Lights go out indicating power failure

01:25:57 a.m.

Thick black smoke comes from the ship

Ship turns to the right toward bridge’s concrete pier

01:26:38 a.m.

Lights go out again after briefly returning

Source: StreamTeam Live

Police radio traffic recorded at 1:27 a.m. captures responders rushing to evacuate and hold traffic on the bridge after an officer announced that a ship had lost control of its steering, according to records from Broadcastify, an open-source audio streaming service.

“Hold all traffic on the Key Bridge,” someone says. “There’s a ship approaching that just lost their steering.”

Others announce that they are en route to the bridge or already holding traffic. One asks whether there are workers on the bridge and whether anyone can contact the “foreman to see if we can get them off the bridge temporarily.”

About a minute after the message reporting a loss of steering, someone shouts, “The whole bridge just fell down!”

At 1:28 a.m. the Dali appears to hit the bridge. Less than 40 seconds later, the bridge collapses.

01:28:50 a.m.

Dali collides with bridge

01:29:28 a.m.

Central part of the bridge collapses

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Dramatic video from the same live stream shows the full collapse.

The shock of the impact caused successive portions of the 1.6-mile span to bow and then fall into the Patapsco River, which is about 50 feet deep. Baltimore Fire Chief Jim Wallace said Tuesday that sonar showed multiple vehicles on the bed of the river.

Francis Scott Key Bridge

Clearance at point

of ship’s impact: About 185 feet

CAR FOR SCALE

About 200 feet

Sources: NOAA, balticshipping.com,

Maryland Transportation Authority

Sources: NOAA, balticshipping.com, Maryland Transportation Authority

Francis Scott

Clearance at point of ship’s impact: About 185 feet

Container ship

Loaded weight:

About 100,000 tons

President Biden pledged that the federal government would foot the bill to repair the bridge and reopen the Port of Baltimore, but officials said it was too soon to say how long that would take. Maryland transportation officials said drivers could expect major delays in the area. State officials said more than 30,000 vehicles a day use the bridge.

Sollers Point

rescue vessels

Dali , Maersk Ship

985 feet long

Power cables

concrete piers

main bridge span

bridge span

Photo: Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post

Interstate 695

Reinforced concrete piers

Submerged main bridge span

Collapsed bridge span

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) said a preliminary investigation indicated that the wreck was an accident. The vessel had been traveling at a relatively rapid speed of about eight knots and lost power before the crash. The crew issued a distress signal, allowing officials to stop much of the traffic on the bridge.

The investigation into the cause was ongoing.

Júlia Ledur and Joy Sung contributed to this report.

Edited by Tara McCarty, Elyse Samuels and Tim Meko. Copy edited by Dorine Bethea and Jennifer Morehead.

How it happened: Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after being hit by a cargo ship . The container ship lost power shortly before hitting the bridge, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) said. Video shows the bridge collapse in under 40 seconds.

Victims: Divers have recovered the bodies of two construction workers , officials said. They were fathers, husbands and hard workers . A mayday call from the ship prompted first responders to shut down traffic on the four-lane bridge, saving lives.

Economic impact: The collapse of the bridge severed ocean links to the Port of Baltimore, which provides about 20,000 jobs to the area . See how the collapse will disrupt the supply of cars, coal and other goods .

Rebuilding: The bridge, built in the 1970s , will probably take years and cost hundreds of millions of dollars to rebuild , experts said.

• Baltimore bridge collapse: Crane arrives at crash site to aid cleanup March 29, 2024 Baltimore bridge collapse: Crane arrives at crash site to aid cleanup March 29, 2024
• Officials studied Baltimore bridge risks but didn’t prepare for ship strike March 29, 2024 Officials studied Baltimore bridge risks but didn’t prepare for ship strike March 29, 2024
• Baltimore begins massive and dangerous cleanup after bridge collapse March 28, 2024 Baltimore begins massive and dangerous cleanup after bridge collapse March 28, 2024

Six presumed dead after cargo ship crash levels Baltimore bridge

BALTIMORE — A major Baltimore bridge collapsed like a house of cards early Tuesday after it was struck by a container ship, sending six people to their deaths in the dark waters below, and closing one of the country’s busiest ports.

By nightfall, the desperate search for six people who were working on the bridge and vanished when it fell apart had become a grim search for bodies.

“We do not believe that we’re going to find any of these individuals still alive,” Coast Guard Rear Admiral Shannon N. Gilreath said.

Jeffrey Pritzker, executive vice president of Brawner Builders, said earlier that one of his workers had survived. He did not release their names.

Up until then, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore had held out hope that the missing people might be found even as law enforcement warned that the frigid water and the fact that there had been no sign of them since 1:30 a.m. when the ship struck Francis Scott Key Bridge.

Moore expressed heartbreak after officials suspended the search for survivors.

"Our heart goes out to the families," he said. "I can’t imagine how painful today has been for these families, how painful these hours have been have been for these families."

It was a crushing blow to the loved ones of the missing men, who had waited for hours at a Royal Farms convenience store near the entrance of the bridge for word of their fate. 

Follow live updates on the Baltimore bridge collapse

The tragic chain of events began early Tuesday when the cargo ship Dali notified authorities that it had lost power and issued a mayday moments before the 984-foot vessel slammed into a bridge support at a speed of 8 knots, which is about 9 mph.

Moore declared a state of emergency while rescue crews using sonar detected at least five vehicles in the frigid 50-foot-deep water: three passenger cars, a cement truck and another vehicle of some kind. Authorities do not believe anyone was inside the vehicles.

Investigators quickly concluded that it was an accident and not an act of terrorism.

Ship was involved in another collision

Earlier, two people were rescued from the water, Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace said. One was in good condition and refused treatment, he said. The other was seriously injured and was being treated in a trauma center.

Moore said other drivers might have been in the water had it not been for those who, upon hearing the mayday, blocked off the bridge and kept other vehicles from crossing.

“These people are heroes,” Moore said. “They saved lives.”

Nearly eight years ago, the Dali was involved in an accident. In July 2016, it struck a quay at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges in Belgium, damaging the quay.

The nautical commission investigated the accident, but the details of the inquiry were not immediately clear Tuesday.

The Dali is operated and managed by Synergy Group. In a statement, the company said that two port pilots were at the helm during Tuesday's crash and that all 22 crew members onboard were accounted for.

The Dali was chartered by the Danish shipping giant Maersk, which said it would have no choice but to send its ships to other nearby ports with the Port of Baltimore closed.

The bridge, which is about a mile and a half long and carries Interstate 695 over the Patapsco River southeast of Baltimore, was "fully up to code," Moore said.

National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said that her agency will lead the investigation and that a data recorder on the ship could provide more information.

"But right now we're focusing on the people, on the families," she said. "The rest can wait."

President Joe Biden vowed to rebuild the bridge and send federal funds.

"This is going to take some time," the president warned. "The people of Baltimore can count on us though to stick with them, at every step of the way, till the port is reopened and the bridge is rebuilt."

Speaking in Baltimore, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg echoed the president's promise.

"This is no ordinary bridge," he said. "This is one of the cathedrals of American infrastructure."

But Buttigieg warned that replacing the bridge and reopening the port will take time and money and that it could affect supply chains.

The Port of Baltimore, the 11th largest in the U.S., is the busiest port for car imports and exports, handling more than 750,000 vehicles in 2023 alone, according to data from the Maryland Port Administration.

Writer David Simon, a champion of Baltimore who set his TV crime drama "The Wire" on the streets of the city he once covered as a reporter, warned online that the people who will suffer the most are those whose livelihoods depend on the port.

"Thinking first of the people on the bridge," Simon posted on X . "But the mind wanders to a port city strangling. All the people who rely on ships in and out."

Timeline of crash

Dramatic video captured the moment at 1:28 a.m. Tuesday when the Dali struck a support and sent the bridge tumbling into the water. A livestream showed cars and trucks on the bridge just before the strike. The ship did not sink, and its lights remained on.

Investigators said in a timeline that the Dali's lights suddenly shut off four minutes earlier before they came back on and that then, at 1:25 a.m. dark black smoke began billowing from the ship's chimney.

A minute later, at 1:26 a.m., the ship appeared to turn. And in the minutes before it slammed into the support, the lights flickered again.

Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said the workers on the bridge were repairing concrete ducts when the ship crashed into the structure.

At least seven workers were pouring concrete to fix potholes on the roadway on the bridge directly above where the ship hit, said James Krutzfeldt, a foreman.

Earlier, the Coast Guard said it had received a report that a “motor vessel made impact with the bridge” and confirmed it was the Dali, a containership sailing under a Singaporean flag that was heading for Sri Lanka.

Bobby Haines, who lives in Dundalk in Baltimore County, said he felt the impact of the bridge collapse from his house nearby.

"I woke up at 1:30 this morning and my house shook, and I was freaking out," he said. "I thought it was an earthquake, and to find out it was a bridge is really, really scary."

Families of bridge workers wait for updates

Earlier in the day, relatives of the construction crew waited for updates on their loved ones.

Marian Del Carmen Castellon told Telemundo her husband, Miguel Luna, 49, was working on the bridge.

“They only tell us that we have to wait and that they can’t give us information,” she said.

Castellon said she was "devastated, devastated because our heart is broken, because we don’t know how they have been rescued yet. We are just waiting for the news."

Luna's co-worker Jesús Campos said he felt crushed, too.

“It hurts my heart to see what is happening. We are human beings, and they are my folks,” he said.

Campos told The Baltimore Banner that the missing men are from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico.

Active search and rescue ends

The Coast Guard said it was suspending the active search-and-rescue effort at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

"Coast Guard’s not going away, none of our partners are going away, but we’re just going to transition into a different phase," Gilreath said at a news conference.

Maryland State Police Superintendent Roland L. Butler, Jr., said it was moving to a recovery operation. Changing conditions have made it dangerous for divers, he said. 

Butler pledged to "do our very best to recover those six missing people," but the conditions are difficult.

"If we look at how challenging it is at a simple motor vehicle crash to extract an individual, I'm sure we can all imagine how much harder it is to do it in inclement weather, when it's cold, under the water, with very limited to no visibility," he said.

"There's a tremendous amount of debris in the water," which can include sharp metal and other hazards, and that could take time, Butler said.

'A long road in front of us'

Built in 1977 and referred to locally as the Key Bridge, the structure was later named after the author of the American national anthem.

The bridge is more than 8,500 feet long, or 1.6 miles. Its main section spans 1,200 feet, and it was one of the longest continuous truss bridges in the world upon its completion, according to the National Steel Bridge Alliance .

About 31,000 vehicles a day use the bridge, which equals 11.3 million vehicles per year, according to the Maryland Transportation Authority.

The river and the Port of Baltimore are both key to the shipping industry on the East Coast, generating more than $3.3 billion a year and directly employing more than 15,000 people.

Asked what people in Baltimore can expect going forward, the state's transportation secretary said it is too early to tell.

"Obviously we reached out to a number of engineering companies, so obviously we have a long road in front of us," Wiedefeld said.

Julia Jester reported from Baltimore, Patrick Smith from London, Corky Siemaszko from New York and Phil Helsel from Los Angeles.

Julia Jester is a producer for NBC News based in Washington, D.C.

Patrick Smith is a London-based editor and reporter for NBC News Digital.

Phil Helsel is a reporter for NBC News.

Corky Siemaszko is a senior reporter for NBC News Digital.

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Moment bridge collapses in Baltimore after cargo ship collision – video

A portion of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore has collapsed after a large boat collided with it early on Tuesday morning, sending a number of vehicles into the water below. At about 1.30am, a vessel crashed into the bridge, catching fire before sinking, according to a video posted on X. 'All lanes closed both directions for incident on I-695 Key Bridge. Traffic is being detoured,' the Maryland Transportation Authority posted on X. The Baltimore mayor, Brandon M Scott, and the county executive, Johnny Olszewski Jr, said emergency personnel were at the scene and rescue efforts were under way

Baltimore bridge collapses after boat collision

Baltimore bridge collapse: six missing after cargo ship slams into structure

What we know about the bridge, ship and port

How Baltimore’s Key Bridge collapsed – a visual guide

Source: StreamTime Live

Tue 26 Mar 2024 08.02 GMT Last modified on Tue 26 Mar 2024 22.45 GMT

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Baltimore bridge: New video shows moment cargo ship crashes into bridge

The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed after a cargo ship collided with it following a loss of power. Two people have been pulled from the water, with six still missing. They're believed to be construction workers.

Tuesday 26 March 2024 18:03, UK

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Baltimore bridge collapse wasn't first major accident for giant container ship Dali

Propulsion failed on the cargo ship that struck the Francis Key Bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday as it was leaving port, causing it to collapse into the frigid Patapsco River. Its crew warned Maryland officials of a possible collision because they had lost control.

“The vessel notified MD Department of Transportation (MDOT) that they had lost control of the vessel” and a collision with the bridge “was possible,” according to an unclassified Department of Homeland Security report. “The vessel struck the bridge causing a complete collapse.”

An official speaking on condition of anonymity confirmed to USA TODAY that the DHS’ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is working with federal, state, and local officials “to understand the potential impacts of this morning’s collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.”

Clay Diamond, executive director, American Pilots’ Association, told USA TODAY power issues are not unusual on cargo ships, which are so large they cannot easily course correct.

“It’s likely that virtually every pilot in the country has experienced a power loss of some kind (but) it generally is momentary,” Diamond said. “This was a complete blackout of all the power on the ship, so that’s unusual. Of course this happened at the worst possible location.” 

The ship in Tuesday's crash, Dali, was involved in at least one prior accident when it collided with a shipping pier in Belgium.

That 2016 incident occurred as the Dali was leaving port in Antwerp and struck a loading pier made of stone, causing damage to the ship’s stern, according to VesselFinder.com, a site that tracks ships across the world. An investigation determined a mistake made by the ship’s master and pilot was to blame.

No one was injured in that crash, although the ship required repair and a full inspection before being returned to service. The pier – or berth – was also seriously damaged and had to be closed.

VesselFinder reports that the Dali was chartered by Maersk, the same company chartering it during the Baltimore harbor incident.

The 9-year-old container ship had passed previous inspections during its time at sea, but during one such inspection in June at the Port of San Antonio in Chile, officials discovered a deficiency with its "propulsion and auxiliary machinery (gauges, thermometers, etc)," according to the Tokyo MOU, an intergovernmental maritime authority in the Asia-Pacific region.

The report provided no other information about the deficiency except to note that it was not serious enough to remove the ship from service.

Follow here for live updates: Baltimore's Key Bridge collapses after ship strike; construction crew missing: Live Updates

Why did Dali crash into the Baltimore bridge?

Officials said Tuesday they’re investigating the collision, including whether systems on board lost electricity early Tuesday morning, which could be related to mechanical failure, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly.

Accidents at sea, known as marine casualties, are not uncommon, the source told USA TODAY. However, “allisions,” in which a moving object strikes a stationary one with catastrophic results, are far less common. The investigation of the power loss aboard the Dali, a Singapore-flagged vessel, will be a high priority.

In a video posted to social media, lights on the Dali shut off, then turned back on, then shut off again before the ship struck a support pier on the bridge.

Numerous cargo and cruise ships have lost power over the years.

The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea requires all international vessels to have two independent sources of electricity, both of which should be able to maintain the ship's seaworthiness on their own, according to a safety study about power failures on ships , citing the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea.

The Dali's emergency generator was likely responsible for the lights coming back on after the initial blackout, Diamond said.

“There was still some steerage left when they initially lost power,” he said. “We’ve been told the ship never recovered propulsion. The emergency generator is a diesel itself – so if you light off the generator, that’s also going to put off a puff of exhaust.”

Under maritime law, all foreign flagged vessels must be piloted into state ports by a state licensed pilot so the Dali's pilot is licensed by Association of Maryland Pilots .

Diamond described the incident based on information from the Maryland agency that licensed the pilot aboard the ship. His organization represents that group and all other state piloting agencies in the US.

“The pilot was directing navigation of the ship as it happened,” he said. “He asked the captain to get the engines back online. They weren’t able to do that, so the pilot took all the action he could. He tried to steer, to keep the ship in the channel. He also dropped the ship’s anchor to slow the ship and guide the direction.

“Neither one was enough. The ship never did regain its engine power.”

How big is the Dali ship?

The Dali is a 984-foot container vessel built in 2015 by Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea. With a cruising speed of about 22 knots – roughly 25 mph. It has traveled the world carrying goods from port to port.

The ship, constructed of high-strength steel, has one engine and one propeller, according to MarineTraffic.com.

The Dali arrived in Baltimore on Sunday from the Port of Norfolk in Virginia. Before that, it had been in New York and came through the Panama Canal.

It remains at the scene of the collapse as authorities investigate.

Who owns and operates the Dali?

It is owned by the Singapore-based Grace Ocean Pte Ltd but managed by Synergy Marine Group, also based in Singapore. It was carrying Maersk customers’ cargo, according to a statement from the shipping company.

“We are deeply concerned by this incident and are closely monitoring the situation,” Maersk said in the statement. 

Synergy, which describes itself as a leading ship manager with more than 600 vessels under its guidance, issued a statement on its website acknowledging the incident and reporting no injuries among its crew and no pollution in the water. There were two pilots on board and 22 crew members in all, according to Synergy, all of them from India.

USA TODAY reached out to Synergy on Tuesday, but the company did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Contributing: Josh Susong

Shocking video shows moment Baltimore bridge collapses following boat strike

Rescuers were searching for survivors in the hours after the collapse, by the associated press and nbc staff • published march 26, 2024 • updated on march 26, 2024 at 10:38 am.

Shocking video shows the moment the 1.6 mile-long Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, collapsed after a container ship rammed the structure, causing it to snap and plunge into the river below, along with several vehicles that were on it.

Rescuers were searching for survivors in the hours after the collapse.

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The moment of the collapse was captured on video. Watch it here:

Video shows a major bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, partially collapsing after it was hit by a cargo ship. https://t.co/zDkvQuj1hq — NBC News (@NBCNews) March 26, 2024

The Volunteer Firefighters from @jmvfc8 , the Volunteer Swift Water Team and the @HarfordCoDES Special Operations Team are assisting the Unified Command at the Baltimore Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse. pic.twitter.com/ipoTR2HljY — Harford Co., MD Fire & EMS (@HarforCoFireEMS) March 26, 2024

Here's what we know so far:

What happened?

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The ship crashed into one of the bridge’s supports, causing the structure to snap and buckle at several points and tumble into the water in a matter of seconds — a shocking spectacle that was captured on video and posted on social media. The vessel caught fire, and thick, black smoke billowed out of it.

“Never would you think that you would see, physically see, the Key Bridge tumble down like that. It looked like something out of an action movie,” said Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, calling it “an unthinkable tragedy.”

Synergy Marine Group — which owns and manages the ship called the Dali — confirmed the vessel hit a pillar of the bridge at about 1:30 a.m. while two pilots were in control. It said all crew members, including the pilots, were accounted for and there are no reports of any injuries.

The Dali was headed from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka, and flying under a Singapore flag, according to data from Marine Traffic. The container ship is about 985 feet (300 meters) long and about 157 feet (48 meters) wide, according to the website.

Why did the ship hit the bridge?

It was not immediately clear what caused the cargo ship to crash into the bridge long before the busy morning commute in what one official called a “developing mass casualty event” in a major American city just outside of Washington.

What do we know about the rescue efforts?

Two people were rescued from the waters under the bridge, one in serious condition, according to Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace. He said authorities “may be looking for upwards of seven people” but said that number could change. It was not clear if the two rescued were included in the seven.

Sonar has indicated that there are vehicles in the water, where the temperature was about 47 degrees Fahrenheit (8 degrees Celsius) in the early hours of Tuesday,  according to a buoy  that collects data for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Earlier, Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department, told The Associated Press that several vehicles were on the bridge at the time of the collapse, including one the size of a tractor-trailer truck. The bridge came down in the middle of night when traffic would be lighter than during the day when thousands of cars traverse the span.

Cartwright called the collapse a “developing mass casualty event,” though he didn’t know at the time how many people were affected.

He added that some cargo appeared to be dangling from the bridge.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore declared a state of emergency and said he was working to get federal resources deployed. The FBI was also on the scene.

What is the Francis Scott Key Bridge?

The bridge spans the Patapsco River at the entrance to a busy harbor. The river leads to the Port of Baltimore, a major hub for shipping on the East Coast. Opened in 1977, the bridge is named for the writer of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

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The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapses, 6 feared dead

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In an aerial view, the cargo ship Dali sits in the water after running into and collapsing the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on Tuesday. Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images hide caption

In an aerial view, the cargo ship Dali sits in the water after running into and collapsing the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on Tuesday.

At least six people are presumed dead following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday morning, officials said.

The bridge fell into the Patapsco River after it was struck by a nearly 1,000-foot-long container ship, sending several people plunging into the frigid waters below.

During a news update Tuesday evening, the U.S. Coast Guard told reporters they are ending an active search and rescue operation for the six people left unaccounted for at 7:30 p.m. local time.

Rear Adm. Shannon Gilreath said that based on the length of time since the bridge collapsed and the water temperatures, they don't believe that search teams are going to find any of these individuals still alive.

More from WYPR in Baltimore:

• Construction worker says friends, colleagues missing in bridge collapse
• Federal government pledges full support to rebuild FSK bridge, reopen port

For the latest from member station WYPR in Baltimore head to wypr.org

Gilreath told reporters that the Coast Guard is not leaving, but is going to "transition to a different phase."

The recovery phase will begin at 6 a.m. local time Wednesday when divers will begin searching for remains of all missing victims , Gilreath said.

Col. Roland L. Butler, Jr., Secretary of Maryland State Police, told reporters the conditions have changed and made it dangerous for first responders and divers to be in the water.

He emphasized that police will still have surface ships out in the water overnight.

"We're hoping to put those divers in the water and begin a more detailed search to do our very best to recover those six missing people," Butler said.

The collision set off a rapid search-and-rescue operation. Eight people from a construction crew that was working to repair potholes on the bridge are thought to have fallen into the water, Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld told reporters.

Authorities did not believe any drivers were submerged in their cars, Wiedefeld said.

The bridge collapsed instantly

Eyepress/Reuters

The bridge, which is part of Interstate 695, collapsed around 1:30 a.m. when it was struck by a massive cargo vessel named the Dali. Dramatic video of the collision shows the hulking ship–the length of more than three football fields– slamming into one of the bridge's pillars, and then an expanse of the bridge falling into the water instantly.

The Dali, a Singapore-flagged ship, had left Baltimore at 1 a.m. and was bound for Colombo, Sri Lanka, according to Marine Traffic , a maritime data site.

The Picture Show

Photos: baltimore's key bridge collapses; search and rescue efforts continue.

Synergy Marine Group, the company that manages the ship, said in a statement that all 22 crew members are accounted for and that there were no injuries resulting from the crash. The company also said there was no pollution to the water.

In a briefing for the media, Moore said the crew of the container ship had notified authorities about a power outage onboard shortly before the collision. The crew notified authorities of "a power issue," Moore said, confirming earlier reports that they had lost power on the ship.

The ship was traveling at approximately 8 knots when it hit the bridge, Moore said. In the immediate aftermath of the collision, officials feared motorists might be submerged in the river, but Moore said that a mayday signal was issued with enough time for authorities to stop the flow of traffic coming over the bridge.

A collapsed section of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore is seen in the waters of the Patapsco River. The bridge collapsed early Tuesday after it was struck by a 984-foot-long cargo ship. Win McNamee/Getty Images hide caption

A collapsed section of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore is seen in the waters of the Patapsco River. The bridge collapsed early Tuesday after it was struck by a 984-foot-long cargo ship.

"I have to say I'm thankful for the folks who once the warning came up, and once notification came up that there was a mayday, who literally by being able to stop cars from coming over the bridge, these people are heroes. They saved lives," Moore said.

FBI and state officials said the preliminary investigation points to an accident and that there was no credible evidence of any terrorist attack. Moore said the Francis Scott Key Bridge was fully up to code and there was no structural issue with the bridge.

"In fact, the bridge was actually fully up to code," Moore said.

The ship has had at least one previous accident

Vessel traffic in and out of the Port of Baltimore, one of the busiest on the East Coast, was suspended "until further notice," port officials announced, as search-and-rescue operations continued and the preliminary investigation into the crash was getting underway.

"This does not mean the Port of Baltimore is closed," port officials said in a statement. "Trucks are being processed within our marine terminals."

Gov. Moore declared a state of emergency and said his office was in close communication with Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. The secretary was due to arrive in Baltimore to visit the crash site and receive updates on the investigation.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, left, speaks during a news conference as Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) looks on near the scene where a container ship collided with a support on the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Steve Ruark/AP hide caption

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, left, speaks during a news conference as Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) looks on near the scene where a container ship collided with a support on the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it will investigate what happened, announcing on X (formerly Twitter) that it was launching a "go team" to Baltimore.

Prior to the crash, the ship had completed 27 inspections, according to a database by the maritime safety site Equasis. In one inspection at a port in Chile last year, the ship was determined to have a deficiency related to "propulsion and auxiliary machinery," according to Equasis.

In 2016, an inspection found "hull damage impairing sea worthiness" after the ship hit a dock on its way out of the port of Antwerp. Video of the incident shows the stern of the ship scraping against the quay as it attempted to exit the North Sea container terminal.

The bridge is an important travel route with a deep history

Members of the National Transportation Safety Board listen to NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy speak during a news conference near the scene where a container ship collided with a support on the Francis Scott Key Bridge, in Dundalk, Md., Tuesday, March 26, 2024. Matt Rourke/AP hide caption

Members of the National Transportation Safety Board listen to NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy speak during a news conference near the scene where a container ship collided with a support on the Francis Scott Key Bridge, in Dundalk, Md., Tuesday, March 26, 2024.

The bridge's collapse leaves Baltimore and travelers along the East Coast without a vital transit corridor for the foreseeable future. The four-lane, 1.6-mile-long bridge carries some 11.3 million vehicles each year, according to state data, and is one of three ways to get through Baltimore on the interstate.

Reconstructing the bridge will be a "long-term build," Moore told reporters.

Speaking from the White House, President Biden said he intends for the federal government to "pay for the entire cost of reconstructing that bridge."

"We're gonna get it up and running again as soon as possible," Biden said. "Fifteen thousand jobs depend on that port, and we're gonna do everything we can to protect those jobs and help those workers."

The bridge isn't just a vital transportation route. It also has a special historical significance.

It opened to the public in March 1977, but its history goes much deeper than that. Scholars believe it stood within 100 yards of the site where its namesake, Francis Scott Key, witnessed the failed British bombardment of Fort McHenry in September 1814.

Key, an American lawyer, watched the battle from the British warship he had boarded to negotiate the release of a detained American civilian. The awe he felt at seeing the flag rise the next morning inspired him to write "Defense of Fort McHenry," which was later renamed "The Star-Spangled Banner" and became the U.S. national anthem in 1931.

Shippers are scrambling to re-route their cargo

Roughly $80 billion worth of cargo passes through the Port of Baltimore each year. But with the port's shipping channels now closed indefinitely due to the accident, shippers have been left scrambling to find alternate routes to transport their goods to and from the East Coast.

Some vessels have already been diverted to Norfolk, Va., Margie Shapiro, who runs a freight handling business in Baltimore, told NPR . Other traffic could be re-routed through New York or Philadelphia.

The Dali was being chartered by Maersk and carrying cargo for Maersk customers, the shipping giant said in a statement . The company said it would be omitting Baltimore from its services "until it is deemed safe for passage through this area."

Cargo already at the Port of Baltimore will have to travel overland, but truck traffic will also be snarled by the loss of the bridge.

"The whole ecosystem is going to be a little bit off," Shapiro said. "When the ecosystem gets messy, things get messy. Freight rates go up. The world gets a little bit chaotic."

NPR's Dave Mistich and Scott Horsley contributed to this report.

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