Cargo Ship That Hit Baltimore Bridge Was Involved in Antwerp Collision in 2016
Chris Michael Guardian UK
The collapse was caused by a shipping container crashing into the Francis Scott Key bridge in the early hours of Tuesday morning. (photo: Reuters)
The Dali was reportedly detained in Belgium after scraping side of quay and significantly damaging part of hull in good weather
According to Vessel Finder and the maritime incident archive Shipwrecklog, the Dali – a 948ft (290-meter) cargo ship with a capacity of 10,000 containers – was leaving the container terminal of Antwerp heading to Bremerhaven.
As it did so, its bow reportedly swung around, causing the stern to scrape the side of the quay, significantly damaging several meters of the hull.
The ship was reportedly detained by authorities afterward and docked in Deurganckdok, Belgium. There were reportedly no injuries or adverse pollution.
According to Vessel Finder, the weather was fine at the time, and the incident was reportedly blamed on the ship’s master and pilot on board.
It is unclear what crew were aboard the ship. Vessel Finder said at the time that the ship, which was built in South Korea in 2015 by Hyundai Heavy Industries, was owned by the Greek company Oceanbulk Maritime but was chartered by Maersk.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) confirmed on Tuesday that the Dali was registered in Singapore and had 22 crew on board, with Maersk adding in a statement that the crew were all Indian but none of them were Maersk crew or personnel. It said the ship was operated by the charter vessel company Synergy Group.
Maersk has been approached for comment.
About 2.6km (1.6 miles) of the Baltimore bridge collapsed on Tuesday when the Dali crashed into it, causing a number of vehicles to fall into the Patapsco River below. At least seven people were being searched for with two rescued, including one in critical condition, officials said on Tuesday at a pre-dawn press conference.
