US set to release preliminary results of Baltimore bridge investigation

Federal officials are poised to release preliminary findings of their investigation into the Baltimore bridge collapse that killed six and shut down Baltimore’s port last week.

The findings could be made public within days, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified as they weren’t authorized to discuss the probe. It’s unclear what the investigation, led by the National Transportation Safety Board, will conclude.

The transportation safety board did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Tainted shipping fuel, which has resulted in serious and sometimes complete engine failure, is one of the factors officials are looking at, the people said. Fuel used for ships, known as bunker fuel, is the the subject of a long and opaque supply chain, according to a 2018 report by the Washington-based think tank Atlantic Council.

“It is an open industry secret that bunker fuel often contains substances that shouldn’t be in fuel at all,” the report said. “Used motor oil and by-products from the manufacture of plastics, rubber, cosmetics, fertilizers, and even paper goods have been found in the final product, which becomes a witch’s brew of hydrocarbons and additives.”