United States: The Dali container ship faced a severe storm, which compounded a series of disasters, nearly a month before it collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, claiming six lives. However, the preliminary investigation conducted by federal safety officials on Tuesday leaves many questions unanswered.
For instance, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) revealed that the ship encountered four power failures, each lasting 984 feet (300 meters).
The ship experienced multiple power losses – Reports
The Dali endured four blackouts within approximately 10 hours – two the day before the crash and two in the minutes leading up to it.
The first blackout occurred when a crew member improperly completed routine maintenance, inadvertently closing the exhaust damper instead of opening it, causing the diesel engine to stall, according to a security report cited by AP News.
Although the backup generator initially started and appeared to be functioning, it later stopped due to a lack of fuel pressure, resulting in a decrease in output and the second blackout. The reason for the drop in fuel pressure remains unknown.
In response, crew members, following their protocol for changing the ship’s electrical configuration, switched to a new setup, abandoning a transformer and breaker system that had been in use for months.
About an hour later, while the ship was navigating the Patapsco River after leaving the Port of Baltimore, there was another disruption in the power supply. Surges of electricity, exceeding normal flow, triggered a chain reaction, causing all breakers in the line to unexpectedly shut down.
This led to an automatic shutdown of the Dali’s diesel engine and the cessation of its cooling pumps due to the power loss.
Officials’ response to the power failures
The pilot dispatcher notified the police and the Coast Guard about the power failures. The crew members promptly restored the electricity flow by manually resetting all the breakers.
However, as the ship approached the bridge, more breakers were tripped, leading to another shutdown. Although the staff managed to restore power, the situation spiraled out of control.
One of the pilots attempted to steer using the rudder, but since the main engine was still down, there was no propulsion to support this action, according to the report. With the ship’s momentum, it collided with one of the bridge’s main supports, causing the span to collapse.
