The destruction of the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore by the container ship Dali on March 26th led to a spate of conspiracy theories on social media. One theory that gained traction claimed that Ukraine might be behind the incident, due to allegations that the ship’s captain was of Ukrainian nationality. Despite the fact that the Ukrainian man had not been the captain of the Dali ship for several years, screenshots from a shipping industry website were used to perpetuate the theory. However, the ship’s crew was actually composed of Indian citizens, and the nationality of the captain at the time of the crash was irrelevant due to the presence of a local pilot handling the ship upon entry into the Port of Baltimore.
Social media users quickly began blaming various parties for the bridge crash, ranging from liberals to Israel to Ukraine. Allegations that Ukraine was responsible for the incident were fueled by claims that the captain of the ship was of Ukrainian nationality, although this information turned out to be outdated. The viral conspiracy theory led to discussions on platforms like Twitter, with users claiming that the captain was from Ukraine and that the country was taking credit for the crash as a form of revenge against Europe. However, investigations into the bridge accident found no evidence to suggest that the crash was a deliberate act, despite the spread of misinformation on social media.
The Dali ship lost propulsion and collided with a pillar of the Francis Scott Key bridge, resulting in the deaths of at least six people. In the aftermath of the incident, the Synergy Marine Group, which owned the ship, released a statement confirming that the crew consisted of Indian citizens. The nationality of the captain operating the ship at the time of the crash was deemed irrelevant due to the mandatory involvement of a local pilot upon entry into the Port of Baltimore. The Maryland Pilot Association clarified that every foreign ship entering Maryland ports must be piloted by a local specialist for safe navigation.
The conspiracy theory alleging Ukrainian involvement in the bridge crash was fueled by a screenshot from a shipping industry website showing a Ukrainian man who had once been the captain of the Dali ship. However, this information was several years old and not relevant to the incident. Despite efforts to debunk the theory and clarify the nationalities of the ship’s crew, false information continued to circulate on social media platforms. Officials investigating the crash reiterated that there was no evidence to support the conspiracy theories, emphasizing that the crash was not a deliberate act. The spread of misinformation following the bridge accident highlighted the challenges of combating falsehoods on social media platforms.
