Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapses after ship struck it

[HCM]

[MickAK]

Is this normal in marine waterways where there is so little margin for error?

Yup. Some ports require tug escort entrance to docking, like Valdez, but you can only go so slow or you can't steer appropriately. If you're going fast enough at the wrong time there isn't a lot a tug can do aside from indirect action which is a tricky thing to get right.

Pilots make big money and they earn it. The trouble is there's no engineering department equivalent and that would be difficult to make work.

[Lon]

According to this article, cops shut down both sides before impact.

https://www.policemag.com/patrol/news/15667388/quick-police-response-stopped-traffic-before-baltimore-bridge-collapse-saved-many-lives?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_c ampaign=20240327_1683:6604864c78371b322105c7f2t_NL-POL-OnTarget-20240327&omid=1000341058&cid=632c90909319ba27c10da 7ad