Singapore maritime officials have dispatched investigators to Baltimore to assist in the probe of a Singapore-flagged cargo ship that lost power and crashed into the port’s Francis Scott Key Bridge early Tuesday, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said in a statement.
The MPA statement said the team would investigate the causes of the crash and assist efforts by the U.S. Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board’s Office of Marine Safety.
The Singapore notice, citing an account it said it obtained from Synergy Marine, the management company for the cargo ship Dali, corroborated U.S. accounts that the vessel “experienced a momentary loss of propulsion” just before it crashed into one of the bridge’s supports. The firm said the ship’s crew dropped its anchor just before the accident but couldn’t prevent the collision.
“As a result [of the power loss], she was unable to maintain the desired heading and collided with the Francis Key Scott Bridge,” the statement said.
Singapore officials said the Dali, a 95,000 gross tonnage container vessel, is in “stable” condition and that all 22 crew members were “safe and accounted for.” The ship had been chartered by the giant Danish shipping company Maersk, but Singapore, as the ship’s flag state, is responsible for conducting the probe into the incident.
Liability for cargo losses or damages caused by the crash to the bridge and the environment will likely be the responsibility of the ship’s owners and their insurers.
SEE ALSO: 6 presumed dead after sputtering cargo ship rams into, collapses Baltimore’s Key Bridge
Singapore has one of the world’s largest ship registries, with more than 4,400 vessels sailing under the country’s flag, according to the MPA’s website.
• David R. Sands can be reached at dsands@washingtontimes.com.
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