The ship that caused the accident was already involved in an accident in 2016
At that time, the container ship Dali, which struck the Baltimore Bridge and caused its collapse, scraped a hole in the port of Antwerp, Belgium, and damaged a berth.
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In Baltimore, United States, two bodies were found on Wednesday March 27 and four are still missing after a bridge collapsed after being hit by a container ship. “terrible accident”, in the words of US President Joe Biden. This is indeed confirmed by the present investigation. The vessel in question, Dali, was involved in a minor accident in 2016 at the port of Antwerp, Belgium.
According to the expert site, a navigational “error” on the part of the captain and his team caused the 2016 incident. VesselFinder. At the time, Daly, almost brand new, scraped one of the quays and damaged a berth while leaving the port of Antwerp. Result: Some crumpled metal, especially on the stern, but no injuries or pollution.
The crew was not charged
The container vessel remained on site during repairs and the incident was investigated. Since then, the ship has changed operators but has kept the same owner, Danish giant Maersk. The 300-metre-long and 48-metre-wide Dali, which flies the Singaporean flag, also successfully completed two inspections last year.
The crew was not implicated in the Baltimore disaster “Momentary Loss of Propulsion” According to the investigation, was endured by Dali. Two harbor expert pilots were also on board to guide the ship. At 1:24 a.m. local time on Tuesday, March 26, alarms on the ship began to sound, indicating propulsion problems. The pilot quickly radioed port authorities that the vessel was heading for the bridge, and requested the intervention of tugboats. A call for help was also made by two teams from the local transport authority who were on the bridge due to work. Later closed all traffic lanes, thus possibly saving lives. Then, at 1:29 a.m., the ship’s recorder recorded “sounds consistent with a collision.”
The bridge, inaugurated in 1977 and used daily by thousands of vehicles, then collapsed like a house of cards, entire sections of the structure ending up on boats. A preliminary investigation suggests it was an accident, according to officials.