The tragic events in Baltimore, where a container ship crashed into Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing the collapse of much of the 1.6-mile structure, was not the first of its kind and is unlikely to be the last.
A 2018 report by the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure, shows how common such events are.
The report recorded, between 1960 and 2015, 35 instances of major bridge collapses worldwide due to ship or barge collisions. Of these, 18 happened in the U.S.
“Highway and rail bridges that cross busy navigation channels near coastal ports and inland waterways pose unique risks to a nation’s critical transportation infrastructure, and potential bridge collapse due to vessel collision often leads to loss of life and significant economic and political consequences,” The report’s author, Michael Knott, said.
Here are five of the worst of those recorded.
Big Bayou Canot, 1993
A barge, pushed by towboat Mauvilla, made a wrong turn on the Mobile River in Alabama and entered the Big Bayou Canot, an un-navigable stretch of water crossed by …