In the early morning hours of March 26th, the Dali, a large containership owned by a Singapore company called Synergy Marine Group crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, MD.
As of right now, there is an estimated 8 injuries or fatalities, with 6 individuals still missing. All 22 crew members of the ship, including the two pilots, were confirmed safe, with no reports of injuries. The vessel, DALI, flying a Singapore flag, was en route from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka, as per Marine Traffic data.
Maryland’s Transportation Secretary, Paul Wiedefeld, was asked if he thought anyone driving over the Francis Scott Key bridge had fallen into the water, aside from the 8 construction workers who were filling potholes. “We believe it’s the construction crew only,” the transportation secretary responded. Also at the press conference, Maryland’s governor declined to comment on when port operations might return to normal. Instead, Wes Moore stated that the “exclusive focus is on saving lives, search and rescue.”
Maryland is currently under a state of emergency. Local and federal authorities are ruling out intentionality or terrorism in relation to the ship’s crash and the bridge collapse. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas says “There are no indications this was an intentional act,” including, “We are assessing the impacts to the Port of Baltimore.”
Synergy Marine Group posted a press release on their website addressing the incident, “Owners and managers of the Singapore-flagged container ship “DALI” (IMO 9697428) report that the vessel collided with one of the pillars of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, Baltimore whilst under pilotage with two pilots onboard, at approximately 01 30 local time on 26th March. All crew members, including the two pilots, have been accounted for and there are no reports of any injuries. There has also been no pollution. While the exact cause of the incident is yet to be determined, the ‘DALI’ has now mobilized its Qualified Individual Incident Response service. The US Coast Guard and local officials have been notified, and the owners and managers are fully cooperating with Federal and State government agencies under an approved plan.”
The recent collision into the Francis Scott Key Bridge involving the DALI is not the first incident of this nature. Back in 2016, while departing the container terminal of Antwerp en route to Bremerhaven, the vessel encountered a similar mishap. Reports indicate that during departure, its bow swung around, resulting in the stern scraping against the quay, causing considerable damage to several meters of the hull. The ship was reportedly detained by authorities afterward and docked in Deurganckdok, Belgium. Despite the incident, there were reportedly no injuries or adverse pollution associated with that collision. This marks another instance where the DALI has been involved in a collision, adding to its history of maritime incidents.
As of 7:30 p.m. EST, the U.S. Coast Guard has called off the search and rescue effort. At this point, six individuals are still missing. The Coast Guard and local authorities will remain on site and move forward with a recovery operation.