Canadian authorities are trying to reassure the public about the safety of bridges in the country after a bridge collapsed in Baltimore, Maryland early Tuesday morning after being struck by a container ship.

Halifax Harbour Bridges, which operates the two bridges across the harbor between Halifax and Dartmouth, says it is aware of the risks of collisions between ships and bridges.

However, Crown Corporation says it monitors every commercial ship passage under the two bridges.

The company also said that the rock islands built around the bridge piers in 1983 provide additional protection.

Meanwhile, the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation, which manages the shipping route connecting Montreal to Lake Erie, clarified that it monitors traffic along the route 24 hours a day and steps have been taken to ensure the safety of physical infrastructure.

A cargo ship lost power and collided with a major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, destroying the bridge within seconds and sinking it into the river in a devastating collapse that could disrupt a vital shipping port for months. Six people were reported missing.

The Governor of Maryland said the ship's crew issued a distress call moments before the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, allowing authorities to limit vehicle traffic on the bridge.

The ship struck one of the bridge supports, causing the structure to collapse like a toy. The ship caught fire, emitting thick black smoke.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore noted that as the ship approached the bridge "at a very high speed," authorities had enough time to prevent vehicles from mounting the bridge.

Moore said, "These people are heroes." "They saved lives last night."

The incident occurred at midnight, long before the busy morning commute on the 1.6 mile (2.6 kilometer) bridge used by 12 million vehicles last year.

State Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said the six people still missing were part of a construction crew filling holes on the bridge.

Rescuers pulled two people from the water. One person treated at the hospital was discharged after several hours.

Several vehicles also fell into the water, although authorities did not believe anyone was inside them.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said, "It looks like something from an action movie," describing it as an "unimaginable tragedy."

A police dispatcher sent a call just before the collapse saying the ship lost steering and asked officers to stop all traffic, according to radio traffic from the Maryland Transportation First Responder obtained from the Broadcastify.com archive.

An officer who stopped traffic over the radio reported he would drive to the bridge to alert the construction crew. But seconds later, a panicked officer said, "The whole bridge has fallen. Start, start with anyone, anyone, the whole bridge just collapsed."

On a separate radio channel for maintenance and construction workers, someone said officers stopped traffic because the ship lost steering. There was no evacuation follow-up order, and 30 seconds later the bridge collapsed and the channel went silent.

From 1960 to 2015, there were 35 major bridge collapses worldwide due to collisions with ships or barges, according to the International Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure.

The collapse is almost certain to create a logistical nightmare for months, if not years, along the East Coast, shutting down ship traffic at the Port of Baltimore, a major shipping hub. It will also hinder the movement of goods and passengers.

Maryland Senator Johnny Ray Salling said, "Losing this bridge will cripple the entire area, as well as the entire East Coast."

Highway signs extending south to Virginia warned drivers of delays related to the bridge.

Authorities said sonar detected vehicles in water approximately 50 feet (15 meters) deep. Water temperature was about 47 degrees Fahrenheit (8 degrees Celsius) before Tuesday dawn, according to a data buoy from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Synergy Marine Group – which operates the ship, called Dali – confirmed the ship hit one of the bridge's columns around 1:30 a.m. while under the control of one or more pilots, local experts who help guide ships safely into ports. The ship is owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd.

Synergy said all crew members and pilots onboard were accounted for, and no injuries were reported.

The governor said the ship was moving at 8 knots, approximately 9 miles per hour (14.8 kilometers per hour).

Rough bridge debris can be seen protruding from the water surface. The ramp ended abruptly where the span once began.

Donald Heinbuch, retired head of the Baltimore Fire Department, said he woke up stunned by a deep roar shaking his house for several seconds. He said, "I felt like it was an earthquake."

He drove to the riverbank and couldn’t believe what he saw. He said, "The ship was there, and the bridge was in the water as if it had been blown up."

The bridge spans the Patapsco River at the entrance to a busy port leading to Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The bridge opened in 1977, named after the author of "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Wiedefeld said all ship traffic to and from the port will be suspended until further notice, although the facility remains open to trucks.

President Joe Biden said he plans to travel to Baltimore "as soon as possible" and intends for the federal government to cover the full cost of rebuilding the bridge.

Biden said, "This will take some time." "However, the people of Baltimore can count on us to stick with them every step of the way until the port reopens and the bridge is rebuilt."

The FBI was on the scene and said there is no credible information indicating terrorism.

The Dali was heading from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka, flying the Singapore flag, according to Marine Traffic data. The container ship is about 985 feet (300 meters) long and about 157 feet (48 meters) wide, according to the site.

Inspectors found an issue with the Dali’s engines in June, but the most recent inspection did not identify any defects, according to the Equasis shipping information system.

Danish shipping giant Maersk said it chartered the ship. There were no Maersk crew or personnel aboard the ship.

Last year, the Port of Baltimore handled a record 52.3 million tons of foreign cargo worth $80 billion, according to the state.

The head of a supply chain management firm said Americans should expect shortages due to the collapse’s impact on container shipping across oceans and trucking on the East Coast.

Ryan Petersen, CEO of Flexport, said, "It won’t just affect the Port of Baltimore."

Juda Levin, head of research at the Global Research Center, said the collapse is unlikely to harm global trade because Baltimore is not a major container ship port, but its facilities are more important when it comes to goods like agricultural equipment and vehicles.

This story was corrected to show that Grace Ocean Private owns the ship, not Synergy Marine Group.