March 26, 2024 8:52 PM ET
The ship suffered a complete power outage before hitting the bridge, a pilot association official said.
From CNN's Yahya Abu Ghazala
Maryland National Guard/Handout/Reuters
Clay Diamond, executive director and general counsel for the American Pilots Association, said the pilot of the boat that hit the Baltimore Bridge on Tuesday “did everything he could to slow the vessel and keep it from drifting toward the bridge.” I did everything,” he said.
Mr. Diamond has been in close contact with the Maryland Pilotage Association regarding what happened on the Dali freighter in the moments leading up to the crash.
“A few minutes before the bridge, the ship lost a complete power outage. So the ship lost its engines and power, so it was a complete power outage,” Diamond told CNN.
At that point, the pilot did “everything in his power” to slow the ship and keep it from drifting to the right toward the bridge, Diamond said.
The pilot immediately issued a series of commands asking him to harden the rudder to port, steer as far to left as possible, and drop anchor.
Additionally, Diamond said it was the pilot who contacted the pilot dispatch office to close off traffic to the bridge.
“These were all good steps, but they happened so quickly and with so little lead time… none of the operations were good enough,” Diamond said.
Diamond noted that although the ship's lights could be seen coming back on, likely due to the emergency generator kicking in after the initial power outage, the ship's engines did not come back on.
Maritime pilots, who must be licensed, temporarily board ships and help guide ships through local waters. Diamond said the pilot training program is extensive and rigorous, requiring years of experience operating ships on the water, classroom simulations and working under the supervision of a licensed pilot.