when it allided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge at the Port of Baltimore.
At 12:39 a.m. on March 26, 2024, the Singapore-flagged containership Dali left the Port of Baltimore, bound for Sri Lanka under charter to Denmark-based Maersk with 4,700 containers aboard.
Signs of trouble began to appear at about 1:25 a.m. when several alarms sounded after the 985-foot ship entered the main channel.
Steering commands and rudder orders were issued, and at 1:26:39 a.m., a pilot made a general radio call for assistance from nearby tug boats.
According to preliminary findings by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), just after 1:27 a.m., the pilot ordered the ship’s port anchor dropped and issued additional steering commands. About 20 seconds later, the pilot issued a radio call reporting that Dali had lost all power approaching the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
Maryland Transportation Authority (MTA) data from about the same time shows the pilot association dispatcher called the MTA’s officer on duty about the blackout, the NTSB said.
Just minutes later, the ship rammed one of the columns supporting the bridge, which spans the Port’s main channel, and at 1:29:39 a.m., Dali’s pilot reported to the Coast Guard that the bridge was down.
Before the ship sailed, the Singapore-flagged Dali “underwent routine engine maintenance and authorities had been informed,” said Coast Guard Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath. “As far as the engine goes, we were not informed of any problems with the vessel.”
According to NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy, investigators boarded the ship to recover information and data and interview the captain and other crew members. Twenty-three people, including two pilots, were on the ship when the allision occurred. Among its cargo of about 4,700 containers were 56 containing hazardous materials including corrosives, flammables, and lithium ion batteries.
The day after the incident, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore issued a statement that Dali’s “required classification society and statutory certificates covering the structural integrity of the vessel and functionality of the vessel’s equipment were valid at the time of the incident.”
The greater Baltimore region has been sorely impacted by the collapse of the ‘Key’ Bridge, which caused the sudden loss of a major transportation link that’s part of the strategic highway loop around the city. The bridge collapse effectively closed the port to vessel traffic, while truck traffic in and out of its terminals continued unhindered, according to a statement from the Port.
The Francis Scott Key Bridge-ship allision is the worst such incident on record since May 9, 1980, when the 609-foot freighter Summit Venture was navigating through the narrow, winding shipping channel of Florida’s Tampa Bay when a sudden, blinding squall knocked out the ship’s radar.
In that incident, the ship sheared off a support of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, dropping a 1,400-foot section of concrete roadway during the morning rush hour.
Seven vehicles fell 150 feet into the water and thirty-five people lost their lives.