Ship That Collapsed Baltimore Bridge Had Troubled History

ANALYSIS – Or was it terrorism? It's still not clear what caused the Singapore-flagged Dali container ship to smash into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore Tuesday morning, but video footage showed nearly all of its lights going off shortly before impact.

At 1:30 a.m. (local time), shortly after leaving the Port of Baltimore, the 985-foot-long ship apparently lost all power, adjusted its course and started smoking, with lower decks lights coming back on, before hitting one of the bridge's main support pylons. (RELATED: Baltimore's Key Bridge Collapses After Shipping Container Collision)

The massive collision sent multiple vehicles plunging into the frigid water of the Patapsco River. Rescuers initially searched for at least seven people. Two people were rescued from the water, one in serious condition, according to the Baltimore fire service.

Officials suspended the search and rescue effort on Tuesday night and six missing construction workers performing repairs on the bridge at the time are presumed dead.

While terrorism seems to have been discounted. Maryland Governor Wes Moore said that there was no credible evidence of a terrorist attack, and he also said the bridge was fully up to code, that doesn't eliminate a design flaw or structural issue from being a contributing factor.

As The New York Times reported:

The collapse might have been avoided, some engineers said, if the pylons holding up the bridge were better protected with blocking devices called fenders. Those can be anything from simple pyramids of rocks piled around the pylons, to major concrete rings padded with slats of wood. But the protection would have had to be able to absorb a hit from such a huge container vessel.

The four-lane steel bridge opened in 1977 after five years of construction and spans 1.6 miles. It crosses over the Patapsco River, where U.S national anthem author Francis Scott Key wrote the “Star Spangled Banner” in 1814.

Built at an estimated cost of $110 million, it allowed for more traffic lanes and carried lower operating and maintenance costs than a tunnel.

Meanwhile, the ship has come under close scrutiny since the disaster.

It now appears this isn't the first time this ship has had a major incident. The Dali has a checkered history, including at least one earlier collision and propulsion worries.

The Dali hit a stone wall berth at the Port of Antwerp in 2016 during unmooring maneuvers, according to VesselFinder. The vessel, which was built in 2015, suffered damage to its stern and transom but remained afloat. The ship was then repaired.

More recently, mechanical questions have been raised. Last June, a routine safety inspection at San Antonio, Chile, found issues related to some of the gauges and thermometers linked to the Dali's propulsion and auxiliary machinery, according to Tokyo MoU, an organization that promotes safe shipping. (RELATED: Maersk Halts Red Sea Shipping, Unsure If US Navy Can Protect Ships)

The issues weren't grounds to detain the ship, flying under the Singapore flag, and it was unclear exactly what they were.

A standard ship examination by the U.S. Coast Guard later last year found no deficiencies, the Equasis marine database showed, according to Bloomberg.

Meanwhile, the incident is proving disruptive for shipping at one of the busiest ports on the U.S. East Coast and also for road transport, as it severed a key link on the major highway encircling Baltimore.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.

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