On March 26, 2024, the base bridge was hit by a ship and collapsed.
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six construction workers Presumed dead A massive cargo ship hit Baltimore’s Franceschi Bridge on Wednesday, causing part of it to collapse into the Patapsco River.
The incident wreaked havoc at one of the country’s busiest ports and raised concerns about supply chain disruptions, raising questions about the Singapore-flagged container ship involved.
The nearly 1,000-foot-long vessel, known as the Daly, was sailing from the Port of Baltimore to Sri Lanka when it struck the bridge’s support tower around 1:30 a.m. ET.
According to LSEG shipping data, the ship was traveling at about 8 knots (about 9 mph) before the collision. Video footage of the disaster appears to show the 1.6-mile-long structure collapsing into the icy water almost immediately after being hit.
Search and rescue efforts were suspended Tuesday night.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said Tuesday that the Daly’s crew was able to issue a critical emergency alert that allowed authorities to clear more vehicles from the bridge before impact.
“Between the call for help and the collapse, we…we had officers who were able to…start stopping the flow of traffic so more cars didn’t end up on the bridge, in a very, very heroic way. It saved lives,” Moore said at a news conference.
Moore said the vessel’s crew notified authorities of electrical problems before the collision, and a preliminary investigation showed the accident occurred.
What do we know about Dali?
The “Dali” had previously had a minor accident at the Port of Antwerp, Belgium, Europe’s second largest port.
In July 2016, the ship suffered “sufficient damage” when it hit a pier’s stone wall during unanchoring operations, according to the shipping trafficking website ship finder.
The accident occurred under good weather conditions and did not cause any casualties. “It was caused by the mistakes of the captain and pilot on board.” After the incident, the “Dali” was still floating in the water and was subsequently repaired.
Separately, an inspection of the Dali in San Antonio, Chile, last June found defects in propulsion and auxiliary machinery, according to NBC News report Tuesday, citing data From the Equasis website which provides ship information.
An aerial view shows the cargo ship Dali after it struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge and collapsed in Baltimore, Maryland, March 26, 2024.
Thasos Katopodis | Getty Images
However, the Port of Singapore Authority on Wednesday explain The container ship has passed overseas inspections and holds certificates certifying its structural integrity and functionality at the time of the Baltimore Bridge incident.
Authorities said the Dali underwent and passed two foreign port state inspections in June and September last year. During an inspection in June, the container ship was found to have a faulty fuel pressure monitoring gauge, but it was repaired before the ship left port.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore added that Dali’s next classification and statutory survey are scheduled for June 2024.
Who chartered the ship?
danish shipping giant Maersk The company confirmed it had chartered the Daly and said Tuesday it was “shocked” by what happened in Baltimore.
The company said in a statement: “Our thoughts are with all those affected. We can confirm that the container ship ‘DALI’, operated by charter company Synergy Group, is time chartered by Maersk and is carrying Maersk customers’ goods.”
“There are no Maersk crew or personnel on board. We are closely following the investigation by the authorities and Synergy and we will do our best to keep our customers informed of the situation.”
Since the expansion of the Panama Canal in 2016, Baltimore’s 50-foot-long channel and port have hosted some of the world’s largest cargo ships from Asia and elsewhere. Cargo handled by the port includes automobiles, sugar, coal and machinery.
—CNBC’s Ruxandra Iordache and Jenni Reid contributed to this article.
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