The Singapore-flagged container vessel that collided with a Baltimore bridge passed two separate foreign port state inspections in June and September 2023, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said.
A faulty monitor gauge for fuel pressure was rectified following the June 2023 inspection, before the vessel departed the port, the MPA said.
"Based on records, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore confirms that the vessel's required classification society and statutory certificates covering the structural integrity of the vessel and functionality of the vessel's equipment, were valid at the time of the incident," the MPA said.
The June inspection was conducted in San Antonio, Chile, while the US Coast Guard carried out a "standard examination" that found no deficiencies in the September inspection, CNA reported, citing data from the Equasis website, which provides information on ships.
The container vessel, Dali, was flagged with Singapore from October 2016 and is classed by classification society ClassNK. Its next classification and statutory surveys are due in June 2024.
Investigators from the Transport Safety Investigation Bureau and the MPA are travelling to Baltimore, the agency said. The ship management company, Synergy Marine Pte. Ltd., reported to the MPA that Dali experienced momentary loss of propulsion just prior to the incident. It was thus unable to maintain the desired heading and collided with the Francis Scott Key bridge, the MPA said.
The vessel was reported to have dropped its anchors as part of emergency procedures prior to its impact with the bridge. The vessel was under pilotage at the time of the incident, and is currently holding onto its position at the collision site in a stable condition. All 22 crew members are safe and accounted for, according to the MPA.
The collapse of the bridge will impact coal exports and metal shipments, and will have major implications for reinsurers and the wider marine insurance market as one of the busiest ports in the mid-Atlantic grinds to a halt.
Synergy Marine said in a statement that its emergency response team was in Baltimore to support the reopening of the waterway, and that the vessel's owners and managers are "fully cooperating with Federal and State government agencies under an approved plan."
The exact cause of the incident has not yet been determined, but an incident response service has been activated, the company said.
A mayday warning was issued prior to the incident, Synergy Marine said in the statement, citing a CNN report that quoted Maryland Gov. Wes Moore as saying that the early warning allowed the bridge to be closed, which limited the loss of life.
