Ship that hit Baltimore bridge also involved in 2016 Antwerp accident
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The ship that caused the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on Tuesday was also involved in an accident in the port of Antwerp, Belgium, in 2016.
The Antwerp port authorities said the container ship Dali hit a quay on July 11, 2016, as it tried to exit the North Sea container terminal.A 2016 inspection of the vessel conducted in Antwerp found it had a structural issue, which was stated as “hull damage impairing its seaworthiness,” according to data published on Equasis, a public database for the shipping industry.
The path to recovery will not be simple or quick. But we will come together around Baltimore, and we will rebuild together. pic.twitter.com/uPevuhNQ8r
— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@SecretaryPete) March 28, 2024
The port authorities said the ship had remained at the dock for repairs for some time after the incident. “As a general rule, these accidents are investigated and ships are only allowed to leave after experts have determined it is safe for them to do so,” a spokesperson for Antwerp port told Reuters. The Belgian nautical committee, which investigates such incidents, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson representing the ship’s owner could not immediately be reached.
Reuters verified that the ship seen in the video of the incident in Antwerp in 2016, which has been shared on social media, matches the Reuters footage and other visuals of the ship that crashed into the Baltimore bridge.
Audio from emergency dispatchers revealed more about the moment when a freight ship crashed into a Baltimore bridge as rescuers searched for the remains of six construction workers lost in the collapse https://t.co/Ni8y6wKRBxpic.twitter.com/SRVe4RjkCT
The MS Dali, owned by Grace Ocean Pte Ltd and managed by Synergy Marine Corp, on Tuesday collided with one of the pillars of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, collapsing a large segment of its 1.6-mile span. The ship was chartered by shipping company Maersk at the time of the incident, the Danish company said in a statement. Maersk said it could not comment on the incident in Antwerp.
The bodies of two people have been recovered from a red pickup truck, which was under water where the Baltimore bridge collapsed.
Eight construction workers were on the bridge when a ship struck it, plunging them into the waters below.
Two of the workers were rescued on the day, but the search continues for the other four – all presumed dead.
Salvage crews are working to address hazardous materials and accident investigators are on the scene.
Four of the six victims of the bridge collapse have been named so far.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Maryland State Police identified Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, as the two workers recovered by divers from inside the truck. Mr Fuentes is originally from Mexico and Mr Cabrera is from Guatemala.
But divers are no longer able to safely navigate the waters because of concrete and debris found in the river, police said. They are now using sonar scans and believe that vehicles that may contain other bodies are “encased in superstructure and concrete” that came down from the bridge, an official said.
Two other missing victims, who are presumed dead, have also been named: Miguel Luna, originally from El Salvador, and Maynor Suazo Sandoval, a Honduran citizen.
