More details are beginning to emerge about the MV Dali container ship that largely destroyed Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge on Tuesday.
In 2016, the Dali hit a wall at the Port of Antwerp in Belgium, damaging a large portion of its hull. The Dali’s owner and operator have also been sued for several work-related injuries since 2018.
Last year, the Dali was also cited for propulsion issues during a stop in Chile. Here are five things to know about the cargo ship:
MV Dali involved in collision at Port of Antwerp
The Dali’s collision with the bridge in Baltimore was not the first time the ship has been involved in such an incident.
The ship was also involved in an accident at the Port of Antwerp in Belgium in 2016. Port authorities said the vessel hit a berth/quay as it was trying to exit a container terminal, according to Newsweek.
The incident caused some “hull damage impairing seaworthiness.” No one was injured, but the ship was detained in Antwerp for repairs until it was deemed safe to travel.
“We as the Port of Antwerp-Bruges cannot give any additional information about the cause of the accident. After an incident, a ship can only leave the port once experts have determined that it can sail safely,” Port of Antwerp officials told Newsweek. “Vessels are checked on a frequent basis by various authorities and experts, which is a standard procedure.”
At the time of the 2016 accident, the Dali was owned by Oceanbulk Maritime, a Greek shipping company. That same year, the Dali was later sold to Grace Ocean Private Ltd.
Last year, the Dali was cited for a propulsion deficiency during an inspection at a port in San Antonio, Chile, according to gCaptain.
According to records from the public ship safety database Equasis, the deficiency was described as issues with “gauges, thermometers, etc.”
There was no detention for the Dali resulting from the deficiency. Three months later the ship was subject to a follow-up inspection by the U.S. Coast Guard, but no deficiencies were recorded.
Dali’s owners, operator sued for worker injuries
Synergy Marine Group, which currently operates and crews the Dali, and its owner, Grace Ocean Private Ltd., have been sued four times since 2018 for worker injuries, according to PennLive.
The lawsuits, which did not involve the MV Dali, were filed in U.S. federal court over allegations of negligence tied to injuries sustained on other ships owned and operated by the companies.
In 2019, a man from Oregon claimed he had broken several bones after falling 25 feet to the ground when a rope ladder he was using to board the MV Star Leader cargo vessel snapped.
A Texas worker said he was injured in 2019 when a hatch on the MV Star Leader was prematurely opened without warning by another crew member.
A longshoreman in Savannah, Georgia, sued Synergy after he claimed he fell 5 feet on a gangway whose handrail had collapsed, injuring his back and shoulder in 2021.
All three lawsuits were settled out of court.
A fourth case, involving a worker at Port Houston who said he was pinned underneath a stack of metal pipes he was trying to remove, was dismissed.
MV Dali was built in 2015
The Dali’s current owner is Grace Ocean Private Ltd. The ship was built in 2015 by shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries at the company’s facility in Ulsan, South Korea.
The vessel is a nearly 1,000-foot-long NeoPanamax cargo ship weighing 120,000 tons, with a container capacity of 9,971 twenty-foot equivalent units.
Grace Ocean Private Ltd. was founded in Singapore in 2009 as a marine services and transport company. The firm has a global fleet of 50 ships, including bulk carriers, container vessels and tankers.
Dali is operated by Synergy Marine Group
The Dali is managed by Synergy Marine Group, a charter company that calls itself the world’s third-largest ship manager with over 640 vessels, according to its website.
The company was founded in 2006 by Rajesh Unni, who is also Synergy’s executive chairman. Synergy provides shipowners with services such as technical management, crew management and marine services.
Synergy is headquartered in Singapore and operates through a global network of over 25 offices in 13 countries, employing over 1,800 people.
Shipping giant Maersk was chartering the Dali
At the time of the Dali’s collision with the Francis Scott Key Bridge, the ship was chartered by Danish shipping giant Maersk.
When the Dali struck the bridge around 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday, it was embarking on a 27-day backhaul voyage to Colombo, Sri Lanka, according to Marine Traffic.
Synergy said all 22 Dali crew members, including the two pilots on board, were accounted for and there were no reports of any injuries.
“We deeply regret this incident and the problems it has caused for the people of Baltimore and the region’s economy that relies on this vitally important port,” Synergy said in a news release.
Maersk said it is working with customers who have cargo containers on the Dali.
“We are deeply concerned by this incident and are closely monitoring the situation,” Maersk said in a news release. “We understand the potential impact this may have on your logistics operation, and will communicate to our customers once we have more details from authorities. Our teams are on hand to support you with your planning, should you need any assistance.”
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