According to a port worker, the Dali cargo ship that collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge experienced a “severe electrical problem” while it was docked in Baltimore a few days earlier.
Julie Mitchell, co-administrator of Container Royalty, a firm that monitors cargo movements, informed CNN that the vessel had been anchored at the port for a minimum of 48 hours before the tragic collision occurred.
‘And those two days, they were having serious power outages… they had a severe electrical problem. It was total power failure, loss of engine power, everything,’ Mitchell told the broadcaster.
Mitchell explained that refrigerated containers caused breakers to trip multiple times aboard the ship, prompting mechanics to work on resolving the issue. She said she didn’t know whether the problem had been fixed when the ship set off.
The 1.6-mile Key Bridge suffered partial collapse when the cargo container vessel collided with one of its support structures shortly before 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore stated that the ship’s crew informed officials that it had experienced a power loss just moments before the collision occurred.
Mitchell informed CNN that significant power issues aboard large vessels like the Dali are ‘not really that common at all’, characterizing the unusual incident as “very rare.”
‘They shouldn’t have let the ship leave port until they got it on under control,’ she said.
Six workers who were on the bridge, pouring concrete to repair potholes during an overnight shift, are now missing and presumed dead.
There have been widespread reports indicating that the Dali experienced a propulsion failure, leading to steering difficulties leading up to the crash, which resulted in the collapse of the iconic bridge.
A crew member aboard the Dali reported that prior to the collision, the engines ‘coughed and then stopped.’ There wasn’t sufficient time to drop anchors before the ship collided with the bridge, causing it to drift.
‘The vessel went dead, no steering power and no electronics… The smell of burned fuel was everywhere in the engine room and it was pitch black,’ the officer said.
Pagoulatos explained that when a vessel like the Dali experiences a power loss, backup generators activate; however, they don’t perform all the functions of the main power system.
According to Equasis, inspectors detected an issue with the Dali’s machinery in June, but a more recent assessment did not uncover any shortcomings.
Pete Buttigieg, the U.S. Transportation Secretary, emphasized that the closure of one of the nation’s busiest shipping lanes until further notice would have a ‘major and protracted impact to supply chains.’
The Port of Baltimore handles more automobile cargo than any other U.S. port – more than 750,000 vehicles in 2022, according to port data.
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