2026 General Session:

We are researching topics for this keynote session. If you have a topic of interest to all please let us know.

2025 General Session: Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapse

The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland collapsed in the early morning of March 26, 2024, after the cargo ship Dali lost power and control and struck it.  The bridge collapsed in less than thirty seconds, sending 4,000 tons of debris into the Patapsco River.  While a greater loss of life was averted by stopping traffic, eight construction workers who were doing maintenance on the bridge fell into the water and sadly six died.  Aside from the loss of human life, the supply chain interruption and financial impact of this event has not yet been fully totaled. 

The primary focus of this presentation will be a case study on challenges and the efforts to reopen the port using a large-scale Unified Command comprised of federal, state and private incident management teams.

As the port remained closed regional and national supply chain shortages as well as a crippling local unemployment crisis pushed a rapid need for action to get the cargo moving.

In addition, the presentation will also look at protections made to avoid similar disasters in the critical Delaware Bay marine transportation system. Join us to hear and take applicable lessons away to improve planning and response in our own communities.

Signup for this session when you register. Pre-registration is required.