On November 13, the Singaporean container ship “DALI” successfully arrived at Fujian Huadong Shipyard Co., Ltd. in Luoyuan Bay Port Area of Fuzhou Port and began large-scale repairs and installation of a new bow. Fujian Huadong Shipyard will start the large-scale maintenance and new bow fitting operation for DALI.
It was previously reported that the container ship, famous for collapsing the famous U.S. bridge, was headed to China for overhaul, and now the shipyard is finally confirmed.
In March this year, “DALI” crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge due to a power outage. The accident attracted global attention and caused losses of up to billions of dollars.
It is understood that after a simple repair in Norfolk on September 19, “DALI” went to Fujian Huadong Shipyard for an overhaul. According to the state when it arrived at the shipyard, “DALI” lost both anchors, the thruster was seriously damaged, and the bow was almost completely lost.
Data show that “DALI” was built by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (formerly Hyundai Heavy Industries) Ulsan Shipyard in 2015 and delivered to the shipowner, classed by Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK). The container ship is 300 meters long and 48 meters wide with a capacity of 9,962 TEU, including 1,400 reefer slots. Notably, it is equipped with B&W 9S90ME-C9 main engines and HIMSEN 9H32/40HD auxiliary engines for power generation, also manufactured by HD HHI.
Let’s review the accident again.
In the early hours of March 26, “DALI” lost all power and propulsion as she approached Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge. Unable to stop, “DALI” drifted into one of the bridge’s piers, collapsing the entirety of the through-truss center section of the bridge. Six workers who were patching potholes on the center span died in the collapse, and one worker was injured.
In addition to the loss of life, the wreckage of “DALI” and the remnants of the bridge blocked the waterway, bringing all shipping in the Port of Baltimore to a standstill. The collapse of the bridge also cut off a vital piece of transportation infrastructure, blocking a major artery for local commuters.
The U.S. government removed approximately 50,000 tons of steel, concrete and asphalt from the channel and the bridge itself. It wasn’t until June 10 that the McHenry Harbor channel was cleared and the Port of Baltimore resumed operations. The accident, which resulted in the closure of the main shipping lanes for nearly three months, had a huge economic impact on several U.S. industries and resulted in losses that could run into the billions of dollars.
On September 18, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a civil lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland seeking more than $100 million in damages from Grace Ocean and Synergy.
On October 25, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Private Limited, the Singaporean companies that own and operate the container ship “Daly”, have agreed to pay a settlement of US$101.98 million to settle the civil lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice.
The settlement does not include compensation for the bridge’s reconstruction, which will cost between $1.7 billion and $1.9 billion and is expected to be completed in the fall of 2028, and is just one of many claims in the case.