A ship in Baltimore was carrying hazardous material, the damaged containers fell into the water

“It’s 764 tons of hazardous materials. Most of them are corrosives, flammables and some different dangerous materials,” Business Insider quoted Homendy as saying. Some of the containers also contained Class 9 materials, meaning the ship could also be carrying lithium-ion batteries.

According to Homendy, some of the hazardous material containers were “significantly disturbed” and several fell into the Patapsco River. But she did not give the exact number.

The official further confirmed that they saw a sheen on the surface of the water, but they have not yet identified the types of hazardous materials, so they cannot talk about specific risks. In any case, the Department of Homeland Security considers the water near the crash site unsafe for divers.

Collapsed Baltimore Bridge: Who Will Pay?

Economy

Officials are also monitoring nearly seven million liters of fuel inside the ship for the potential of a leak, according to the Cyber and Infrastructure Security Agency. However, according to CNN’s source, “a lot would have to go wrong” for this worst-case scenario to come true and the fuel actually spilled into the river.

Although this amount of fuel may seem like a lot to the layman, it is not unusual for the size of the ship, the CNN server added. The Dali ship is roughly 300 meters long and can carry up to 95,000 tons of cargo. Containers with hazardous material thus occupied only a fraction of the total carrying capacity.

Although a chemical emergency has not been declared at the site, hazardous materials are likely to complicate the cleanup process, Business Insider added, recalling the disaster in February last year when a train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in Ohio. The life of the locals there is still marked today.

Delays in cleaning up river debris can have significant economic consequences. The port of Baltimore, where traffic is now halted due to the accident, is the ninth busiest US port for international cargo and a major hub for the automotive industry. The collapse of the bridge itself is a problem especially for commuters to Baltimore, around 11.3 million vehicles pass over it annually.