Baltimore bridge collapse: Singapore-flagged ship passed foreign ...
SINGAPORE: The Singapore-flagged container vessel that slammed into a Baltimore bridge on Tuesday (Mar 26) had passed two foreign port inspections last year, said the Maritime Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).
These were done in June and September 2023.
"In the June 2023 inspection, a faulty monitor gauge for fuel pressure was rectified before the vessel departed the port," MPA stated in a media release on Wednesday.
It did not say where the inspections were conducted, but data on the Equasis website, which provides information on ships, showed that the June inspection was carried out in San Antonio, Chile.
The September inspection was conducted by the US Coast Guard in New York on Sep 13. According to the Equasis data, the “standard examination” didn’t identify any deficiencies.
The vessel, named Dali, was flagged with Singapore in October 2016.
"Based on records, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore confirms that the vessel’s required classification society and statutory certificates covering the structural integrity of the vessel and functionality of the vessel’s equipment were valid at the time of the incident," the agency said.
Classification societies are organisations which develop and apply technical standards for the design and construction of ships.
They are engaged by flag administrations to carry out inspections on board ships and monitor compliance with technical standards and regulations.
Dali's next classification and statutory surveys are due in June 2024, said MPA.
A construction crew was fixing potholes on the Francis Scott Key Bridge at about 1.30am local time when the accident happened.
Rescuers pulled two survivors to safety but six others were missing and presumed dead, according to US officials.
The cargo ship lost power and smashed into a support column of the bridge despite desperate attempts to stop in time by dropping its anchor.
"Just prior to the incident, the vessel had experienced momentary loss of propulsion," MPA said in a statement on Tuesday, citing the vessel's management company Synergy Marine.
"As a result, she was unable to maintain the desired heading and collided with the Francis Scott Key bridge."
All crew members and the two pilots on board were accounted for. Pilots are local specialists who help ship captains guide vessels safely into and out of ports.
Among the 22 crew members, who are Indian nationals, one suffered a minor head injury, a spokesman for Synergy Marine confirmed in a phone call with CNA. The person has been discharged from hospital.
The ship was carrying a range of cargo, spokesman Pat Adamson said.
Close to 4,700 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) were on board at the time. The vessel was travelling to Colombo in Sri Lanka.
Asked about whether the Dali suffered technical issues before the incident, Mr Adamson said it would be "presumptive" to comment while investigations are ongoing.
Synergy Marine and ship owners Grace Ocean are cooperating with the US Coast Guard's investigation into the collision, he added.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore said earlier that quick thinking by authorities, once the ship issued a Mayday call, allowed them to stop vehicles from driving onto the bridge.
"These people are heroes. They saved lives last night," he told a press conference.
President Joe Biden called the collapse a "terrible accident," and pledged to get the port reopened and the bridge rebuilt.
A team of investigators from the Singapore Transport Ministry's Transport Safety Investigation Bureau and MPA are on their way to Baltimore, the agency said on Tuesday.
