Why Are There No Coast Guard Rules That Mandate Massive Cargo Ships Operate Under Tug Control in Ports?
The Bridge Did Not “Collapse” – It Was Knocked Down
I know nothing about shipping or Coast Guard vessel safety.
But my first reaction to learning of the Baltimore Harbor crash that took out the Francis Scott Key bridge serving I-695 was related to safety regulation, despite attempts by the Biden White House to seed diversionary “terrorism” stories (with the typical denials of any evidence of terrorism “at this time” – kind of like “When did you stop beating your wife” tactics).
I did some initial research and came across a commercial shipping expert, who posted video and analysis of the accident that NY Times and mainstream media have not. watch it here.
In the analysis, he noted that the ship had lost power – twice – just prior to the crash and may have lost propulsion and rudder control.
The vessel is in the outbound channel, but it is not operating under tug boat control.
She would not have tugs on her – as she would have had tugs on to take her off the docks … but not when she was underway and had propulsion.
So, my question is: why don’t Coast Guard regulations mandate that cargo ships operate under tug control until fully and safely out of port?
These are massively large and difficult vessels to navigate, especially in tight situations like under bridges and in ports. With such catastrophic accidents possible, it seems like common sense to mandate that safety requirement.
That question must be examined – and not buried in the investigation or obfuscated with all sorts of diversions like terror threats – but by media right now.
[Update: I also read that there is a Liability limitation law that limits liability to the value of the cargo ship. This accident will costs many billions of dollars in damages, so we have another huge corporate bailout on our hands.