MV Dali

2024

Baltimore, the Francis Scott Key Bridge Location: Patapsco River, Baltimore, Maryland · Coordinates: 39.22°N 76.53°W · Casualties: 6 · Survivors: ~22 + 2 from bridge · Depth: survived · bridge collapsed · Cause: power failure · allision — Lost electrical power twice in quick succession while outbound from Baltimore at 01:27 on 26 March 2024. Without power she could not steer or reverse; she drifted at 8 knots and struck the southwestern support pier of the Francis Scott Key Bridge at 01:29. The bridge collapsed into the river in ten seconds. · Fate: released April 2024 · bridge rebuilt · Type: container ship · Neo-Panamax · Tonnage: 95,128 tons · Crew: 22 · Flag: Singapore · Synergy Marine · Launched: 2015 Singapore-flagged Neo-Panamax container ship, outbound from Baltimore at 01:27 on 26 March 2024. Lost electrical power twice in ninety seconds as she approached the Francis Scott Key Bridge; without power, neither anchors nor reverse thrust could stop her. She struck the southwestern pier at 8 knots at 01:29. The bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River in ten seconds, killing six road-crew workers who had been filling potholes at the moment of impact. The largest American maritime infrastructure failure of the twenty-first century. The Vessel The MV Dali was a Singaporean-flagged container ship of the Singaporean Grace Ocean Private Limited shipping company, built at the Hyundai Heavy Industries yard at Ulsan, South Korea in 2015 and commissioned on 24 December 2015. She was 299 metres long, 95,128 gross tons, and powered by a MAN B&W diesel engine producing approximately 56,000 horsepower. Her specific design was a Neopanamax container ship: capacity approximately 9,971 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent container units). She was owned by Grace Ocean Private Limited and operated under charter by the Danish Maersk Line shipping company. Her specific operational role in 2024 was the global container trade: specifically transatlantic and transpacific container routes between Asian, European, and North American ports. Her master on her final voyage was Captain Prabhu Shankar, 43, an Indian merchant marine officer. Her complement on 26 March 2024 was 22 crew, all Indian merchant marine personnel. The Disaster The specific consequence of the impact was catastrophic for the bridge. The specific Francis Scott Key Bridge (a 1.6-mile-long steel truss bridge built in 1977, carrying Interstate 695 across the Patapsco River) collapsed almost immediately upon the impact. The specific bridge collapse occurred within approximately 20 seconds of the initial impact. The specific main span of the bridge collapsed onto the Dali and into the Patapsco River; substantial portions of the approach spans also collapsed. Six bridge construction workers were working on the bridge at the time of the collapse. The workers were part of a pothole repair crew from Brawner Builders, a specific construction contractor. All six workers fell into the Patapsco River with the collapsing bridge. The specific immediate emergency response was substantial. The Maryland State Police, Baltimore City Fire Department, US Coast Guard, and Maryland Transportation Authority initiated a major search-and-rescue operation. The specific search was conducted in the Patapsco River over approximately 24 hours. Two of the six workers were rescued alive from the water on 26 March 2024. The remaining four workers' bodies were recovered over the subsequent days and weeks. Specifically: Miguel Luna, Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval, Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, Carlos Daniel Hernandez, Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, and Jose Mynor Lopez - all migrant workers from Central America - died in the bridge collapse. MV Dali did not sink; she rem