Authorities are reviewing the events leading up to the moment the 985-foot Singapore-flagged ship Dali lost power and struck one of the bridge supports while leaving the Port of Baltimore, officials said. . You can discuss the ongoing investigation anonymously.
Federal agents apparently boarded the ship Monday morning to search for it. Less than an hour after the sun rose at 6:30 a.m., three boats in quick succession docked on Dali's port side. Around 6:50 a.m. Monday, people wearing yellow and orange life jackets entered the Dali through the bottom door and climbed up to the bow using a ladder. About 30 minutes later, about a dozen more people dressed in black boarded the small boat.
The FBI confirmed in a statement that FBI agents were on board the ship.
“The FBI is conducting court-authorized law enforcement operations aboard the cargo ship Dali,” the bureau said in a statement Monday morning.
The FBI said it had no additional public information and would not comment further.
“My office typically does not confirm the existence of or comment on investigations,” Erec L. Barron, the U.S. attorney for Maryland, said in a statement. “But the public must hold accountable those who may be responsible, whether it be for gun violence, civil rights violations, financial fraud, or other threats to public safety or property. You should know that you will be pursued.”
The ship's owner and operator, as well as the lawyers representing them, also did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The pre-dawn crash on March 26 collapsed the Key Bridge, where eight people were repairing concrete and filling potholes. Six repair workers died after falling into the water, officials said. The two survived.
This criminal investigation is separate from an investigation initiated by the National Transportation Safety Board to determine the cause of the accident and evaluate other safety-related measures.
President Biden and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) have previously said they intend to hold accountable parties deemed potentially responsible for the bridge destruction.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
