Here’s what you need to know about the Dali freighter that crashed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing it to collapse and leaving six bridge construction workers presumed dead.
OCEAN MONSTERS
If held upright, Dalí would reach almost to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris or about two-thirds of the way up the Empire State Building in New York.
It can carry the equivalent of almost 10,000 standard-sized metal containers and at the time of the accident it was carrying almost 4,700 containers. But while those numbers are impressive, the Dali pales in comparison to the world’s largest container ships, which can carry more than 24,000 containers. Operating giant container ships has environmental and economic advantages, but their large size and weight make them difficult to maneuver and stop, especially when something goes wrong.
Dali length: 984 feet (300 meters). Weight: 95,000 tons empty.
Capacity: 10,000 20-foot (6-meter) containers.
MAYDAY CALL SAVES LIVES
The ship shares its name with one of the most famous artists in history, the Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dalí.
Built by South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries, one of the world’s largest shipbuilders, the Dali was launched in late 2014. It is owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd, flies the Singapore flag and is powered by diesel engines.
Danish shipping giant Maersk had chartered the Dali for a planned voyage from Baltimore to Sri Lanka, but the ship didn’t make it very far, and the crew sent out an emergency call early Tuesday saying it had lost power and had no control of the ship. direction system. Minutes later, the ship collided with one of the bridge’s columns, causing the entire structure to collapse in a matter of seconds.
The ship was moving at about 8 knots or 15 kph (9 mph). The mayday gave enough time for authorities to stop traffic on the bridge and likely prevent more deaths, but not enough time to clear construction crews that were filling potholes on the bridge. Divers recovered the bodies of two of the workers on Wednesday.
The Dali’s nearly two dozen crew members were accounted for after the accident, and one of them was taken to a hospital with minor injuries.
PASSED PREVIOUS INSPECTIONS
The Dali passed an inspection in June 2023 in Chile. According to authorities, a faulty pressure gauge was identified in the fuel heaters, but it was repaired before the ship left port. Later in September, the US Coast Guard in New York inspected the Dali and no problems were found. Before leaving Baltimore, the ship underwent routine engine maintenance, according to the Coast Guard.
Federal and state officials say the crash appears to be an accident.
The Coast Guard downloaded the voyage data recorder and sent it to the National Transportation Safety Board, which is developing a timeline of what caused the accident, with a preliminary report expected in the coming weeks. Singapore also plans to carry out its own investigation, which it says will be to identify lessons for the future rather than determine liability.
WHATS NEXT
In addition to trying to clear the canal floor of bridge debris, officials will need to assess the damage to the Dali and make sure it doesn’t leak fuel or sink. Investigators found damage to at least 13 containers on the ship.
The Dali will then likely be towed back to port and the cargo unloaded.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says it’s too early to say how long it will take to reopen the Port of Baltimore or replace the destroyed bridge. He noted that it initially took five years to build the bridge.