A bridge in the US city of Baltimore collapsed when Singapore-registered container ship 'Dali' crashed into it on Tuesday. The same ship was involved in a similar incident in Antwerp in 2016.
According to Vesselfinder, in 2016 the 300-metre ship was "attempting to leave the container terminal [in Antwerp] for Bremerhaven when the bow of the boxship swung around causing the stern to scrap along the quay." The incident did not cause any injuries or pollution and was thought to be the fault of the ship's master and pilot on board.
Seven years later, the same ship crashed into a bridge in Baltimore at 01:30 on Tuesday 26 March 2024. This immediately caused the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which is 3km (1.6 miles) long and part of a major highway, to collapse in a catastrophic structural failure. Emergency services are searching for at least seven missing people using drones, helicopters and divers. So far, two have been recovered, one of whom is seriously injured.
There were 22 crew members on board Dali, according to Maersk, the company that chartered Dali's journey. The governor of Maryland has declared a state of emergency.
BREAKING: Footage shows the moment a major bridge collapsed in the US city of Baltimore after it was hit by a cargo ship. Full story: https://t.co/DZlFHY2Sdn đź“ş Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/PiLGxXqdjY
— Sky News (@SkyNews) March 26, 2024
CCTV footage from around 01:30 local time shows Dali colliding with a pillar of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing it to fall into the river along with much of the bridge's metal structure. Lights, thought to be from vehicles on the bridge, were seen before the collapse.
The ship had just departed from the port of Baltimore with the intention of embarking on a near-month long journey to Colombo port in Sri Lanka.
