the bridge is coming up on 50 years old. maryland DOT regulations require a safety certification inspection every 5 years but every 50 they get a really thorough inspection where they use radar and sonar to check the concrete foundation pilings.
When the FSK was built back in the 70's the mob was doing big business in ports all up and down the eastern seaboard and it's widely known in charm city that the bridge was made with shady mob concrete and was done really shoddily. There is zero chance that bridge was going to pass its 50 year inspection and the owner was going to be absolutely fucked and probably do an entire retrofit.
It just so happens that the bridge changed hands last year to what looks like a shell company at a discount and as part of that transfer the insurance policy was updated and increased (which is normal) but the inspection reports the insurance company uses are the 5 year reports which don't do the deep concrete scans.
And it also just so happens that the ship that hit the bridge was used in an insurance fraud scheme a few years ago where they sideswiped a pier in europe. It ended up that the mafia was involved in that, too.
I have no proof of anything shady but when you look at all the pieces...