Dali cargo ship had troubled history

The container ship that struck and destroyed a Baltimore bridge had a chequered history, including propulsion concerns and at least one earlier collision

MV DALI: Singapore-flagged container ship
Cargo: More than 4,600 containers

Owner Grace Ocean Private Ltd
Operator Synergy Marine Group
Gross tonnage 95,000
Length 300m
Beam 48m
Max. capacity 10,000 TEU*
Crew 22

2015: Dali built for Greek ship owner Oceanbulk by South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries
2016: Ship strikes quay at port of Antwerp during unmooring manoeuvres, sustaining damage to stern and transom
Following repairs, vessel sold to Singapore-based Grace Ocean 
Jun 2023: Routine inspection in Chile finds issues linked to ship’s propulsion and auxiliary machinery. Problem not serious enough towarrant detaining vessel
Sep: Standard ship examination by U.S. Coast Guard finds no deficiencies
00:44, Mar 26, 2024 Dali departs Baltimore, bound for Colombo, Sri Lanka. Ship loses propulsion as it leaves port
01:30: Vessel crashes into main support pillar of Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing structure to collapse into Patapsco River


All times local. *Number of containers measured in twenty-foot equivalent units

Sources: ABC News, BBC, Bloomberg, VesselFinder
Picture: Getty Images
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