A small, overlooked detail led to a massive disaster. A loose wire on a cargo ship caused a power outage, making the ship lose control and crash into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge. This accident killed six workers and shut down the port for months.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found that the ship, named the Dali, had two blackouts. The first one was fixed, but the second one happened because a fuel pump didn’t restart automatically. A crew member had to go down two decks in the dark to fix it. The NTSB said the crew did their best, but they didn’t have enough time to avoid the crash.

The NTSB also said the bridge wasn’t strong enough to handle big ships like the Dali. They suggested that better safety measures could have prevented the collapse. The Maryland Transportation Authority said the ship’s owners were to blame, but the NTSB said the bridge’s design also played a role.

The NTSB was frustrated with the companies involved. They said the ship’s operator, Synergy, didn’t update its safety rules. The shipmaker, Hyundai Heavy Industry, didn’t want to change the ship’s design. Instead, they said the crew should be better trained.

The bridge’s replacement cost has doubled to between $4. 3 billion and $5. 2 billion. The project is now expected to take until 2030. U. S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy criticized Maryland officials for the rising costs and delays.

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