The cargo ship Dali experienced electrical blackouts before leaving the Port of Baltimore and again shortly before crashing into the Francis Key Bridge, resulting in the deaths of six construction workers. The first blackout occurred due to a crew member closing an exhaust damper, and a second blackout happened after leaving Baltimore, causing the ship to lose steering and propulsion. The initial blackout led to insufficient fuel pressure, resulting in a second blackout. Crew members then changed the ship’s electrical configuration before departure.
Investigations revealed that the ship was en route to Sri Lanka with containers and supplies for a month-long voyage. Investigators are examining the electrical configuration following the first power outage to determine its impact on the subsequent blackout that led to the bridge collapse. The National Transportation Safety Board launched an immediate investigation after the incident to determine the root cause and prevent such incidents from recurring. The report details the chaotic moments before the bridge collapse as crew members scrambled to handle multiple electrical failures.
Crew members attempted to restore power after the initial blackout by manually closing tripped breakers. The ship experienced another blackout when approaching the bridge, leading to the loss of power for the final time. Despite efforts to restore power, it was too late to avoid the collision with the bridge. An attempt was made to turn the rudder at the last minute, but the lack of propulsion prevented steering assistance, resulting in the collision. The collapse occurred at 1:29 a.m., plunging the bridge into the river while construction workers were on break in their vehicles.
One member of the roadwork crew survived by freeing himself from his work truck, while a road maintenance inspector avoided the collapse by running to safety. Crews conducted a controlled demolition to dismantle the largest remaining span of the collapsed bridge, which had pinned the ship in its wreckage. The ship is scheduled to be refloated and returned to the Port of Baltimore in the coming days. The Dali arrived in the US a week before the incident and made stops in Newark and Norfolk before Baltimore. Investigators are working with Hyundai, the ship’s electrical system manufacturer, to determine the cause of the blackouts.
The preliminary report released by the National Transportation Safety Board likely includes only a fraction of the findings expected in the final report, which could take over a year to complete. The FBI has initiated a criminal investigation into the circumstances leading up to the bridge collapse. The report provides new details about the power issues on the ship while docked in Baltimore and how the crew responded. The investigation aims to determine why the power outages occurred and prevent future incidents, with a focus on the electrical configuration before departure to identify the causes of the blackouts.
