The Singaporean-flagged cargo ship that crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore this week was involved in another accident several years ago, according to newly unearthed video.
Reuters reported that the 1,000-foot Dali hit a port on July 11, 2016, as it tried to leave the North Sea container terminal in Antwerp, Belgium.
The ship reportedly suffered damage that was serious enough that it impacted the ship’s seaworthiness, causing the ship to remain docked for a long time while it underwent repairs.
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The ship has been inspected more than two dozen times and has recorded two “deficiencies,” according to records obtained by CNN.
“In June of 2023, in San Antonio, Chile, the Chilean authorities gave the DALI a ‘deficiency’ for ‘propulsion and auxiliary machinery — gauges, thermometers, etc,’” the report said, according to Equasis records.
The National Transportation Safety Board gave details about this week’s accident in a newly released timeline.
The ship departed Seagirt Marine Terminal at approximately 12:39 a.m. By 1:07 a.m., it had entered the Fort McHenry Channel. By 1:24 a.m., the ship was underway on a true heading of approximately 141 degrees in the Fort McHenry Channel at an indicated speed over ground of approximately 8 knots/9 miles per hour.
Roughly one minute later, “numerous aural alarms were recorded on the ship’s bridge audio,” the NTSB reported, adding, “Around the same time, VDR ship system data ceased recording, however, the VDR audio continued to be recorded using the VDR’s redundant power source. Around 01:26:02, the VDR resumed recording ship system data. During this time, there were steering commands and rudder orders on the VDR audio.”
“Around 01:26:39 the ship’s pilot made a general VHF radio call for tugs in the vicinity of the DALI. MDTA data from around this time indicated the pilot association dispatcher phoned the MDTA duty officer regarding the blackout. Around 1:27:04, the pilot commanded the DALI to drop the port anchor and issued additional steering commands,” the NTSB continued. “Around 1:27:25, the pilot issued a radio call over the VHF radio and reported the DALI had lost all power approaching the Key Bridge,” the NTSB stated, adding that at roughly 1:29 a.m., “the ship’s speed over ground was recorded as just under 7 knots/8 miles per hour. From this moment until approximately 1:29:33, VDR audio recorded sounds consistent with the collision with the Key bridge.”
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