BALTIMORE, Md. - Wednesday marks one year since a cargo ship slammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, immediately collapsing it and killing six construction workers that were operating on the bridge.
The NTSB says the DALI cargo ship lost power, including to its steering, just moments before striking the bridge. Wednesday morning, Governor Wes Moore and other state leaders gathered at the footstep of the bridge to commemorate the lives lost and acknowledge the state's resolve in the face of this tragedy.
"To look danger and uncertainty in the face and know we will never flinch to answer a moment of crisis with genuine courage. To help each other when one of us gets knocked down. It's who we are. It's who we will always be," Governor Moore said.
None of the crew members on DALI cargo ship have been charged in connection with the crash. Investigators are continuing to work to determine who was responsible. Last week, the NTSB said the Key Bridge was nearly 30 times the acceptable risk rate for a strike from a vessel.
The crash shut down one of the nation's busiest ports, the Port of Baltimore for months. It's an economic impact that was felt especially here on Delmarva.
Two key areas still recovering are automobile imports and farm and construction equipment.
"Automobile importation. Other ports have taken some of that, away from us. Brunswick, Georgia, being one that's, really grew there, facilities for import of foreign automobiles. Same with the agriculture equipment. Maryland. The Port of Baltimore was a huge importer of ag equipment that hasn't quite returned to normal yet," said Bill Chambers, President of the Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce.
Steve Hurley, President of the Wicomico Farm Bureau says equipment is not the only area in the agriculture space that experienced effects.
"We did see some interruptions in, certain types of fertilizer, mainly liquid fertilizer. At this point, it's it's a non-issue right now. Possibly could be cheaper if it was brought into the port of Baltimore versus where we're getting it now," he said.
Chambers says there are still areas to grow, but that the economic recovery has been swift.
"If you'd asked me a year ago if I thought we'd be where we are now in terms of recovery, I probably would be shocked, to admit that we're at a place that I don't think anyone thought we'd be," he said.
Even with the weeks-long shutdown, the Port of Baltimore processed more farm and construction equipment than any other port in the country in 2024.