Why Did Dali Ship Crash Into Baltimore Bridge? Theories Flood Internet

Theories as to why a container ship struck Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge early Tuesday morning are spreading online.

The Dali, a nearly 1,000-foot-long vessel, hit one of the bridge support columns at around 1:30 a.m., causing the entire structure to snap apart in several places and fall into the river, as seen in a video posted on X (formerly Twitter). Emergency services have been searching for at least seven people, and authorities have referred to the situation as a "dire emergency." The Maryland Transportation Authority has urged motorists to avoid the bridge, which is part of Interstate 695.

Newsweek reached out to Synergy Marine Group, the Dali's management company, by email for comment.

It is unclear why the ship struck the bridge, but several theories have suggested possible reasons for the disaster—including electrical problems and weather conditions.

Electrical Problems

In a video showing the ship just before it collided with the bridge, the ship's lights can be seen flickering on and off.

"Ship appears to have lost power twice before impact with the bridge. In this sped up clip, note that the ship's lights are on at first, then turn off," social media user @brick_suit posted on X, with a video of the ship. "After the lights return, the ship appears to lose power one more time before the power returns again, but by then it's too late."

Retired container ship captain Frederick John Nicoll appeared on Fox & Friends on Tuesday morning and said that one of the biggest factors could have been a mechanical problem on the ship.

Weather Conditions

Weather conditions appeared to be clear, but Nicoll said winds could have affected the ship more than usual considering the ship's light weight. The ship weighed less because of its journey to Sri Lanka, Nicoll said.

"It was considered light, so it would be more affected by wind than normally if it was coming in heavy," he said.

Exhaustion

"Nighttime is a major factor," Nicoll said.

Exhaustion also could have influenced the ship's staff, but Nicoll said that was less likely considering the ship had just left the harbor.

Cyberattack

A few prominent social media users have speculated that a cyberattack was launched against the ship, leading to the disaster.

"Looks deliberate to me. A cyber-attack is probable. WW3 has already started.." conspiracy theorist Alex Jones posted on X.

"This ship was cyber-attacked. Lights go off and it deliberately steers towards the bridge supports," British-American influencer Andrew Tate posted. "Foreign agents of the USA attack digital infrastructures. Nothing is safe. Black Swan event imminent."

A black swan event is an "unpredictable and rare occurrence that has a major impact on history," according to the website MasterClass.

In a press release early Tuesday morning, the FBI said that the collision wasn't a terrorist act. However, Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said it was too early in the investigation to know what caused the collision.

The Francis Scott Key Bridge opened in 1977 and was named after the national anthem's writer.

Update 3/26/24,10:04 a.m. ET: This story was updated with additional information.