A post shared on Facebook claims the Dali cargo ship that recently hit the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland was purportedly unmanned at the time of the collision.

Verdict: False

The claim is false and originally stems from a Mar. 27 article published by the satire site “Real Raw News.” Synergy Marine Group, the Dali cargo ship’s management company, issued a press release on Mar. 27 indicating the two pilots and other crew members aboard the ship were safe.

Fact Check:

Workers have “removed the first segment” of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore amid efforts to “salvage” the structure, according to the Baltimore Sun. A crane is being used to offload the wreckage to a barge, the outlet reported.

“White Hats Suggest Dali Unmanned at Time of Collision,” the Facebook post purports. The post does not provide a source to support its claim.

The claim is false and originally stems from a Mar. 27 article published by the satire site “Real Raw News.” A “Disclaimer” included on the site’s “About Us” page indicates its content is not meant to be taken literally. “Information on this website is for informational and educational and entertainment purposes. This website contains humor, parody, and satire. We have included this disclaimer for our protection, on the advice on legal counsel,” the disclaimer reads.

According to the same satire article, both the cargo ship’s management company and public officials have “misrepresented [the] facts surrounding the incident.” The article further claims the U.S. Army Cyber Command purportedly heard part of a phone call between a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) official and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in which Buttigieg supposedly said the cargo ship was unmanned at the time of the collision and advised that the purported detail not be “spread around.”

Likewise, Check Your Fact found no credible news reports to support the claim that the cargo ship was purportedly unmanned at the time of the collision. In fact, the opposite is true. USA Today also labeled the claim as false via a Mar. 29 article.

Furthermore, Synergy Marine Group, the Dali cargo ship’s management company, issued a press release on Mar. 27 indicating the two pilots and other crew members aboard the ship were safe. (RELATED: Facebook Post Falsely Claims Navy JAG Has Started Garland’s Military Tribunal, Accuses Him Of ‘Treason’)

“We confirm the safety of all crew members and two pilots aboard ‘DALI,’ with one minor injury reported. The injured crew member has been treated and discharged from hospital,” the statement read in part.

Check Your Fact has contacted Synergy Marine Group for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.