Experts say urgent need to improve old bridges to accommodate modern vessels
A deadly bridge collapse in Baltimore. A bridge in southern China sliced in half. Parts of a bridge cutting through the hull of a ship in Argentina.
Boakyewaa Lawrencia 
These events happened in the first three months of this year – and all after collisions with large commercial ships. These incidents, and the toll – with at least five killed in China, and six presumed dead in Baltimore – have highlighted what experts say is the urgent need to improve or protect old bridges to accommodate larger modern vessels.
The Baltimore collapse on Tuesday focused national attention on the issue.
“We need to remember this bridge was built 50 years ago, and the ships at the time were a fraction of the size of what DALI (the ship that crashed) is today,” said Sal Mercogliano, a former merchant mariner and maritime expert.
“And DALI isn’t even a big container ship, there are much larger vessels that are out there,” he added. “So in many ways we have infrastructure that was built for another time.”
The incident in China took place in February when a cargo ship rammed into the Lixinsha Bridge in the Pearl River Delta, southern Guangzhou province – a major international shipping hub and the country’s industrial heartland.
These incidents may look similar but there could be varying factors at play, experts say.
