5 months ago
25
NEW DELHI: The Singapore-flagged container ship
Dali
experienced multiple
power outages
before colliding with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing its collapse and the death of six construction workers, according to a preliminary report released by the US national transportation safety board (NTSB) on Tuesday. The report provides a detailed timeline of the events leading up to the disaster, which has blocked the busy Port of Baltimore, a key US hub.
The report revealed that the Dali experienced two blackouts about ten hours before leaving Baltimore, with the first caused by "the mechanical blocking of the online generator's exhaust gas stack" and the second related to "insufficient fuel pressure for the online generator."
The Dali suffered two blackouts in the moments before the collision, with the first occurring when the ship was just 0.6 miles from the bridge.
This caused a loss of propulsion and steering, leading the ship to drift off course. Although the crew managed to briefly restore power, a second blackout occurred when the Dali was only 0.2 miles from the bridge. Despite the crew's attempt to make a hard turn to port using an emergency generator, the lack of propulsion sealed the bridge's fate.
The crew had been tested multiple times for drugs and alcohol, both before and after the disaster, with no positive results.
Following the collapse, the FBI launched a criminal probe targeting the ship, with agents boarding the Dali as part of the investigation. President Joe Biden has pledged federal funds to rebuild the bridge and promised to open a new channel for shipping traffic by the end of May. On Monday, crews demolished part of the bridge to free the Dali, which has been pinned beneath the wreckage since the collapse.
The Dali had an all
Indian crew
of 22 people onboard, according to ship management company Synergy Marine Group.
In the early hours of March 26, the ship, en route from Baltimore to Colombo, collided with a 1.6-mile-long, four-lane bridge in Baltimore. Following the collision, the bridge collapsed onto the cargo ship. The vessel, owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd, has a capacity of 10,000 TEU, with 4,679 TEU onboard units.
(With inputs from agencies)
