Usually tugboats attend whenever a large container ship enters or exits a busy port, and the tugboats have directional thrusters. Port authorities prefer it that way because it gives them more control (since the tugboats tend to stay in the port).
any idea why tugboats weren't standard issue going out of the port considering the potential damage economic and social of accidentally destroying this critical bridge for Baltimore?
Tugs were involved in helping the ship leave, but they were released before the accidently.
The release was the decision of the pilot, who remaining in charge of the ship till the accident. If pilots are too liberal in their use of tugs, the ship owner becomes unhappy (because the ship owner ends up paying for them), and if they become unhappy enough, will stop using the port. I.e., pilots are under some pressure to keep the use of tugs to a minimum.
Note that it is probably the pilot who advised authorities to stop cars from entering the bridge minutes before the accident, which is why the only deaths were a team of 6 construction workers working on the bridge.
I am surprised that they were able to get the bridge closed in just a minute or two. Unless there is a standing action plan for this (there may be) that seems like a really fast response. Possibly there are gates/stop lights that can be activated remotely?
Apparently not: the MDoT dispatcher: "I need one of you guys on the south side, one of you guys on the north side. Hold all traffic on the Key Bridge."
