--- title: "Report: Baltimore Bridge Collapse Now Has the FBI’s Attention" description: "Last month's deadly bridge collision in Baltimore has, apparently, gotten the attention of the Federal Bureau of Investigation." date: "2024-04-16" modified: "2024-04-16" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/baltimore-bridge-fbi-probe" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "FBI" - "francis scott key bridge" - "shipping" - "the digest" --- # Report: Baltimore Bridge Collapse Now Has the FBI’s Attention ![Last month's deadly bridge collision in Baltimore has, apparently, gotten the attention of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.]() *\Image: Kevin Dietsch via Getty\* ## G-Unit Last month's deadly bridge collision in Baltimore has now gotten the attention of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. As two sources with information about the matter [told *ABC News*,]() the bureau has opened a criminal investigation into the crash, which occurred when the Singapore-based Dali cargo ship crashed into the city's Francis Scott Key Bridge after its power went out, resulting in the deaths of six men who'd been working on the bridge. Specifically, the feds are looking into whether the crew of the Dali — who have been stuck in the Baltimore Harbor for [more than two weeks]() now and may have to stay there for [weeks or even months longer]() as US investigations are pending — was aware that such a power failure might occur before the ship left port in Southeast Asia, as the [*Associated Press* reported]() last week based on anonymous insider sources. The National Transportation Safety Board, which has been investigating the Key Bridge collapse [since the end of March](), told the *AP* that it was also looking into whether the ship had experienced electrical issues while docked. In a statement to *ABC*, the Justice Department confirmed that the FBI agents had been aboard the ship on Monday, and the bureau's Baltimore branch told the outlet that it was "present aboard the cargo ship Dali conducting court-authorized law enforcement activity." ## Public-Private Partnership On the same day that news of the FBI's presence aboard the ship dropped, [Baltimore's mayor also announced]() that the city had hired two law firms to work alongside its own attorneys to get to the bottom of the March 26 collision. Those attorneys, Mayor Brandon Scott said in his office's statement, would be seeking to "hold the wrongdoers responsible and to mitigate the immediate and long-term harm caused to Baltimore City residents." "Through this engagement, the City of Baltimore will take decisive action to hold responsible all entities accountable for the Key Bridge tragedy," he continued, "including the owner, charterer, manager/operator, and the manufacturer of the M/V Dali, as well as any other potentially liable third parties." As serious as this all sounds, it does unfortunately answer some questions [*Futurism* posed]() to the Key Bridge response team and the Baltimore International Seafarers' Center about why the 21-person crew, which is comprised of workers from India and Sri Lanka, was still on board the ship weeks after the bridge collapse. "The ship is still considered a working vessel," Rev. Joshua Messick, the Seafarers' Center's executive director, told us last week. "It’s not that they have not been allowed off, but they are working in tandem with the agencies involved in the recovery/cleanup effort." **More on disasters:** [*New Boeing Whistleblower Says 787 Fuselages Are Improperly Fastened Together, Could Break Apart*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()