The Singapore-flagged container ship Dali has arrived at the port of Fuzhou in China’s Fujian province for major repairs. The arrival marks a major step forward in the history of the ship, which was involved in a devastating accident in March when it collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore , Maryland. The incident left six people dead and caused the entire structure to collapse, plunging vehicles and people into the Patapsco River.
On March 26, the Dali suffered a power outage while sailing near the bridge, resulting in a catastrophic collision that damaged infrastructure and triggered a complicated and costly legal process. U.S. authorities spent more than $100 million on cleanup and debris removal efforts, including more than 50,000 tons of materials removed from the canals.
Dali arrives in China after leaving the US and facing lawsuits
In September, the Dali was cleared to leave the United States after initial repairs in Norfolk, Virginia. However, the severity of the damage required the ship to embark on a voyage to China , where experts from Fujian Huadong Shipyard will perform additional repairs to the bow and side thruster.
Meanwhile, the US Department of Justice has filed a civil lawsuit against the companies that own and operate the Dali, Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine . Both sides agreed to a payment of nearly $102 million to partially cover cleanup and recovery costs . However, legal disputes over responsibility for the accident remain, and will drag on until 2026, when trials are expected to begin.
The impact of the accident affected the infrastructure and also created a bottleneck in the port of Baltimore , significantly affecting the local economy. Pre-trial hearings will seek to clarify whether electrical failures and insufficient training of the crew were determining factors in the incident.
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Source: BAIRD Maritime
Photo: Shutterstock
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