The ship that caused the bridge to collapse had obvious problems when it was docked

Content of the article

BALTIMORE – The large container ship that caused the Baltimore Bridge to collapse had apparent electrical problems before leaving port, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Monday, hours after the FBI said it was investigating whether any laws were involved. broken.

Content of the article

On March 26, Dali left the port of Baltimore loaded with cargo bound for Sri Lanka when it struck one of the abutments of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and fell into the Patapsco River, killing six members of the road maintenance crew. Three of their bodies were found.

Content of the article

Dali experienced apparent electrical problems before leaving port, according to someone with knowledge of the situation. The man, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment, said an alarm went off in the refrigerated containers on the ship while it was still docked in Baltimore, indicating a power failure.

The ship's crew was aware of the issues and said they would be resolved.

Content of the article

Content of the article

National Transportation Safety Board officials said their investigation will include determining whether the ship experienced power problems before it began its journey.

Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendi said last week that the investigation will focus primarily on the ship's electrical system. The ship was experiencing power problems before the crash, as evidenced by footage showing its lights going off and on again.

Khomendi said the information from the ship's voyage data recorder is relatively simple, so “information from the engine room helps us a lot.”

The FBI said Monday it is conducting a criminal investigation focused on the circumstances that led to the bridge's collapse and that all federal laws were followed, according to another person familiar with the matter. The person was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.

Content of the article

FBI agents conducted court-authorized law enforcement aboard the cargo ship on Monday, the agency said in a statement. He did not elaborate and said he would not comment further on the investigation, which was first reported by The Washington Post.

Meanwhile, Mayor Brandon Scott released a statement Monday announcing a partnership with two law firms to “initiate legal action to hold the wrongdoers accountable” and mitigate the harm to Baltimore residents.

Scott said the city “will take decisive action to hold accountable all entities responsible for the Holy Bridge tragedy, including the owner, charterer, manager/operator and manufacturer of the M/V Dali, as well as any other potentially responsible third parties.” .”

Content of the article

He said the city must act quickly to protect its interests as the shipowner tries to limit the company's liability.

Dali is managed by Synergy Marine Group and both owned by Singapore-based Grace Ocean Private Ltd. belongs to the company. Danish shipping giant Maersk hired Dali.

“Due to the magnitude of the incident, various government agencies are conducting an investigation, and we are fully engaged,” Synergy Marine spokesman Darrell Wilson said in a statement Monday. “Out of respect for these investigations and any future legal proceedings, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.”

The investigation comes amid concerns about the safety of thousands of U.S. bridges and comes days after more than two dozen river barges broke down and crashed into a covered span in Pittsburgh.

Content of the article