Ship that hit Maryland bridge lost power several times, investigators say

WASHINGTON – Cargo ship Dali lost electrical power several times before it

crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge

in March, killing six people and paralysing a major transportation artery for the US north-east, federal investigators said on May 14.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said in a preliminary report that about 10 hours before leaving Baltimore, the Dali experienced a blackout during in-port maintenance and shortly before the crash.

The board added that the ship had other outages including about four minutes before the crash when electrical breakers unexpectedly tripped causing a loss of power to all shipboard lighting and most equipment when it was 1km from the bridge.

The crew restored power but another blackout occurred 320m from the bridge, which stopped all three steering pumps. The crew were unable to move the rudder to steer.

The NTSB said it “is still investigating the electrical configuration following the first in-port blackout and potential impacts on the events during the accident voyage”.

The report includes the first published investigative findings since the fully loaded container ship caused the bridge to tumble into the Patapsco River. NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy will testify before a US House committee on May 15 on the federal response to the collapse.

The report found no issues with the quality of the fuel onboard.

In April, the FBI opened a criminal probe into the incident.

Safety investigators recovered the ship’s “black box” recorder, which provides data on its position, speed, heading, radar and bridge audio and radio communication, as well as alarms.

The bridge’s insurer Chubb said this month it was preparing to pay US$350 million (S$473 million) to the state of Maryland, which could be the first major payout tied to the bridge collapse.

Crews in Baltimore set off controlled explosions on May 13 to allow them to remove a portion of the bridge from the bow of the Dali.

This will allow salvage crews to haul away the twisted metal wreckage using cranes and barges, the US Army Corps of Engineers said.

Crews have opened four temporary channels since the crash, allowing some shipping to resume. The Corps said it aims to restore port access to full capacity by end May.

Maryland estimates it will cost US$1.7 billion to US$1.9 billion to rebuild the bridge and anticipates completion by fall 2028.