MV Dali is a Neopanamaxcontainer ship built by Hyundai Heavy Industries, best known for causing the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore by alliding[a] with it on March 26, 2024. Contracted in 2013, her hull was laid down in October 2014, launched in December, and she was named after Spanish painter Salvador Dalí in January 2015. In March, she was delivered to Stellar Marine, a subsidiary of the Greek shipowner Oceanbulk Maritime. She has been owned by Grace Ocean Ltd., a Singaporean company, since 2016, and she is flagged in Singapore. In July 2016, she allided with the berth at the container terminal of the Port of Antwerp, causing significant damage to the ship and the berth.
Dali was sold from Stellar Marine to Grace Ocean, a Singaporean company, in October 2016; she was placed under the management of Synergy Marine and reflagged as Singaporean. A faulty fuel pressure gauge was detected at the port of San Antonio, Chile, in June 2023; the gauge was replaced and no faults were detected at a further check three months later. On 26 March 2024, shortly after leaving the Port of Baltimore with a crew of 22 and two Maryland pilots en route to Colombo, Sri Lanka, the ship lost power and struck a support pillar of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing its collapse. Although traffic had been stopped on the bridge after a mayday call, six construction workers were killed.
Dali is propelled by a single low-speed two-strokecrossheaddiesel engine coupled to a fixed-pitch propeller. Her main engine, a 9-cylinderMAN-B&W 9S90ME-C9.2[9] unit manufactured by Hyundai Heavy Industries under license, is rated 41,480 kW (55,630 hp) at 82.5rpm.[5] Her service speed is 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph).[1] For maneuvering, Dali has a single 3,000 kW (4,000 hp) bow thruster. Electricity is generated onboard by two 3,840 kW (5,150 hp) and two 4,400 kW (5,900 hp) auxiliary diesel generators.[4]
Construction
On 14 May 2013,[4]Hyundai Heavy Industries was contracted to build two container ships based on the "Hyundai 9000 wide beam" design that was modified by moving the wheelhouse from three-quarters aft to a more forward position to increase the container capacity from 9,034 to 9,962 TEU.[8] A further two similar ships were ordered for CMA CGM and four for Maersk later in 2013.[4]
On 11 July 2016, Dali collided (in maritime terms, allided[a]) with the berth at the container terminal in the Port of Antwerp, Belgium, causing significant damage to her stern and transom.[10] The berth was also damaged and closed for cargo handling operations. No injuries or water pollution were reported.[11]
While in the port of San Antonio, Chile, in June 2023, port state control inspection revealed a single deficiency related to "gauges, thermometers etc." in the ship's machinery, subsequently clarified as a monitor gauge for fuel pressure which was rectified prior to departure.[12] The ship was not detained, and at the follow-up inspection in the United States, three months later, no problems were identified.[2][4][13]
Dali with bridge wreckage across her bowDali's size, though considered large, is less than that of the largest container ship.[14]
On 26 March 2024, Dali departed the Port of Baltimore in the United States, carrying a total load of nearly 4,700 containers and bound for Colombo, Sri Lanka, while under charter to Maersk,[3] with a crew of 22[15] and two pilots.[16] Shortly after leaving the port, the ship lost power, but was able to broadcast a mayday call.[17] Soon afterwards, she collided with a support pillar of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing a major part of the bridge to collapse, with one span falling onto the ship's forecastle.[18][19] None of the 24 on board were seriously injured. All moving traffic had left the bridge, but six construction workers died.[20][21][22] The National Transportation Safety Board is conducting the investigation and interviewing the crew.[23][24]
On 23 April, the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore filed papers, in the Northern District of Maryland, seeking a jury trial within the district, to obtain compensation from Grace Ocean Private Limited of Singapore (Owners), and Synergy Marine PE Ltd of Singapore (managers), for the resultant financial losses. The plaintiffs alleged that the defendants provided an incompetent, inattentive, improperly trained, improperly supervised crew, on an improperly maintained and unseaworthy vessel, resulting in the bridge collapse, harming the city.[28]
The collapsed parts of the bridge were separated from the ship on 13 May by explosives.[29] A week later the authorities removed Dali using tugboats which then berthed the ship at the Seagirt Marine Terminal,[30] for inspection, assessment, and debris removal. Dali arrived in Hampton Roads on June 25, 2024 in order to unload its cargo at Virginia International Gateway and then undergo repairs.[31][32]Dali departed to China in September 2024.[33]
^ abA crash between two moving vessels is a collision; a crash between a moving vessel and a stationary object, such as a bridge, is an allision. Maritime law treats the two differently: in the latter, the moving vessel is generally presumed to be at fault.[6] This usually makes it easier to prove liability, shortening post-crash legal wrangling.[7]
^Jara A., Ramón (26 March 2024). "Barco que derribó puente de Baltimore fue inspeccionado en Chile, donde se le detectaron "deficiencias"" [Ship that demolished the Baltimore bridge was inspected in Chile, where "deficiencies" were detected]. Emol (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 27 March 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024. De acuerdo con el Sistema Electrónico de Información de Calidad del Envío (Equasis), el buque "Dali" fue revisado en junio de 2023 en el puerto de San Antonio. [According to the Electronic Shipping Quality Information System (Equasis), the "Dali" vessel was inspected in June 2023 at the port of San Antonio.]
^Koeze, Ella (28 March 2024). "The Dali Is a Big Ship. But Not the Biggest". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 30 March 2024. Source credits: "Sources: "The Geography of Transport Systems," by Jean-Paul Rodrigue; VesselFinder; the Empire State Building; the Eiffel Tower; ShipHub; Maryland Port Administration".
^"PETITION FOR EXONERATION FROM OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY"(PDF). United States District Court for the District of Maryland. 1 April 2024. Archived(PDF) from the original on 5 April 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2024. Petitioners, through undersigned counsel Duane Morris LLP and Blank Rome LLP...
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