Recently, the cargo ship Dali encountered a harrowing incident as it departed from Baltimore Harbor. The vessel lost power and propulsion, leading to a series of commands issued by the pilot in a desperate attempt to prevent a collision with the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
Audio recordings retrieved from the ship's Voyage Data Recorder revealed that the pilot had requested tugboat assistance several minutes before the crash occurred. Additionally, the pilot instructed the crew to drop anchor and pull the rudder in a bid to halt the ship's movement, as detailed by investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
Marcel Muise, an investigator from the safety board, disclosed that data analysis indicated the Dali, a massive ship spanning approximately three football fields in length and laden with shipping containers, was traveling at a speed of around 8 miles per hour at the time of impact with a bridge abutment.
Clay Diamond, the executive director of the American Pilots Association, acknowledged that the Dali pilot had taken appropriate measures upon losing control of the vessel. However, the rapid sequence of events left insufficient time for these maneuvers to avert the collision. Diamond emphasized that the ship's size and proximity to the bridge rendered prevention of the crash unfeasible.
The unfortunate incident resulted in significant damage to the bridge, underscoring the challenges posed by such emergencies in maritime operations. The aftermath of the collision serves as a stark reminder of the complexities and risks inherent in navigating large vessels, especially in congested waterways.
