The ship that crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore was in another crash back in 2016.
Terrifying footage shows the Singapore-flagged container ship Dali colliding with one of the bridge’s support struts, causing a large section to collapse.
It has now emerged that the vessel was involved in another similar crash eight years ago in 2016 – just one year after it was built.
Blogs following maritime news posted videos of the vessel in the port of Antwerp in Belgium.
The stern of the container vessel can be seen scraping against a quayside in the port.
According to an account from VesselFinder, the incident was caused by an error in the pilot and master on board the vessel.
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There was some ‘sufficient damage’ to the Dali’s stern and the dock was also ‘seriously damaged’ at the time, but luckily no injuries were reported and the ship was able to stay afloat.
A spokesperson for the Port of Antwerp told Business Insider that the collision had taken place but that they ‘can’t give any information about the cause of the accident’.
According to website Marine Traffic, the ship was flagged in Singapore and had been bound for Colombo Port in Sri Lanka.
It was listed as having an overall length of 299.92 metres (around 983.9ft) and a width of 48.2 metres (around 158.1ft).
Emergency services were called to the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore at around 1.30am local time.
A multi-agency rescue operation is now underway led by the fire department and co-ordinating with the US Coast Guard and other Maryland agencies.
It is not clear how many people are involved in the incident, but the collision is being referred to as a ‘mass casualty event’ by emergency services.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott has also declared an official state of emergency following the collision.
Harford County Md Fire
In a statement, he said: “Baltimore, I am officially declaring a local state of emergency in response to the collapse of our Key Bridge.
“Our teams are mobilizing resources and working swiftly to address this crisis and ensure the safety and well-being of our community.”
A statement from Baltimore County Fire Department said: “Numerous water rescue and dive teams from across Baltimore County are deployed to the scene of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse as we continue to provide assistance.”
The vessel was described as ‘losing propulsion’ prior to the crash.
The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency also told ABC: “The vessel notified MD Department of Transportation (MDOT) that they had lost control of the vessel and a collision with the bridge was possible.
“The vessel struck the bridge causing a complete collapse.”
An investigation has since been opened into the collapse.
