When a cargo ship collided with the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in 2007, the bridge's fendering system proved to be a crucial safety measure that prevented any fatalities. This incident has now sparked a debate on whether similar protections could have saved Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge, which tragically collapsed recently, claiming the lives of six construction workers.

Engineering experts such as Sherif El-Tawil from the University of Michigan have suggested that safety measures like a fendering system, dolphins, or islands of rocks around the bridge's supports could have potentially softened the impact of the cargo ship on the Key Bridge. However, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg noted that there is ongoing debate within the engineering community about the effectiveness of these measures in preventing such catastrophic events.

The Key Bridge, which opened in 1977, predates the paradigm shift in bridge design that followed the Sunshine Skyway Bridge disaster in 1980. Mark Luther, an oceanography professor at the University of South Florida, highlighted the importance of modern safety features such as rock islands and large cylindrical piers in preventing collisions with large vessels. However, retrofitting older bridges like the Key Bridge with these features would be extremely costly.

Roberto Leon, an engineering professor at Virginia Tech, emphasized that while the technology exists to protect bridges from collisions with massive cargo ships, governments must weigh the costs and risks involved. Designing protections for such enormous loads can be prohibitively expensive, raising questions about how much taxpayers are willing to invest in safeguarding against rare but potentially devastating accidents.

The tragic collapse of the Key Bridge has underscored the need for a reevaluation of bridge safety measures in light of the increasing size and capacity of modern cargo ships. As the maritime industry continues to evolve, the challenge remains to balance the costs of implementing advanced safety features with the potential risks of catastrophic collisions.