New data from the investigation into the Dali accident, the ship that collided with the largest bridge in Baltimore (USA) and brought it down. The container ship was carrying 56 containers of hazardous chemical materials, some of which ended up in the water after impact.
In total, authorities estimate that there are 764 tons of corrosive and flammable materials in the containers, such as lithium ion batteriesJennifer Homendy, president of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), said at a press conference.
Everything indicates that the containers broke in the crash since ‘shiny’ has been found in the river waters. According to Homendy, the area right now is “dangerous” due to the amount of debris and the bad weather, which makes diving impossible so that teams can verify the status of the containers that fell into the water.
At the moment, the freighter Dali, operated by the Singapore company Synergy Group and chartered by Maersk, remains at the point where the accident occurred among the remains of the Francis Scott Key bridge, near the port of Baltimore, which was almost completely destroyed.
The number of deaths rises to six, all workers of the works that were being carried out on the bridge at the time of the collision. There were 21 crew members and two pilots on board the cargo ship, who will be questioned in the coming days.
Accident timeline
According to authorities, the ship left the port of Baltimore at 12:39 local time and several alarms sounded on the ship at 1:24. The pilot issued a first warning to the tugboats in the area at 1:26 and at 1:27 he dropped anchor and warned by radio that they were going to collide with the bridge, something that happened at 1:29.
That last warning before the collision was key since it warned the authorities and they were able to cut off the circulation of vehicles on the bridge and avoid a greater tragedy.
Singapore, the ship’s flag country, has reported that it has opened a second process. The Asian country wants to “identify lessons to prevent future incidents and victims,” but does not seek to point out responsibilitiesaccording to the latest government statement.
This investigation adds to that initiated by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, which stated the day before that the Dali I had the documentation in order and passed two inspections in June and September 2023.
The Maritime Authority indicated that it is cooperating with the US Coast Guard and is reviewing all protocols to find out if it violated any regulations. Homendy has warned that the investigation will last between one and two years.
