KUALA LUMPUR – The Singapore-registered container ship involved in the collapse of a Baltimore bridge in the US had passed two foreign port state inspections last year, the Singapore Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) said.
The 300-metre-long vessel, named Dali, had valid certification as to its structural integrity and functionality of its equipment at the time it collided with a support pillar of the Francis Scott Key Bridge yesterday, MPA added.
The two foreign port state inspections were in June and September 2023, and the ship had undergone rectification for a faulty fuel pressure monitor gauge following the inspection in June.
“Dali’s next classification and statutory surveys are due in June 2024,” MPA said in a statement.
The bridge collapse in the state of Maryland, in the mid-Atlantic region of the US, yesterday, occurred after Dali rammed into a support pillar, causing cars and people to fall into the waters with temperatures as low as 9 degrees Celsius.
The rescue effort has seen one person sent to the hospital in critical condition, while a second individual was rescued uninjured.
The ship’s 22 crew members are all accounted for, and no injuries were reported.
Six people, said to be construction crew who were repairing potholes on the bridge at the time of the incident, are still missing in the icy waters of the Patapsco River.
The search and rescue operation for the six has been called off as they are presumed dead, and efforts to retrieve the bodies are underway.
Dali was en route from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka and was operated by charter company Synergy Group. – March 27, 2024