Container ship ‘Dali’ left the Seagirt Marine Terminal in the Port of Baltimore under its own power just before 8.30am on Monday morning, 24 June 2024. The ship is sailing to the port of Norfolk where it will first be unloaded and then a shipyard will repair the ship’s bow.
As the ‘Dali’ has lost both anchors, four tugs will assist the ship en route to the seaport of Norfolk on the US east coast. The US Coast Guard is monitoring the entire voyage. During the transit, the Coast Guard cutter ‘Sailfish’, an 87-foot Marine Protector-class patrol boat based in Virginia Beach, will monitor a 500-metre safety zone around the ‘Dali’. The Coast Guard will closely monitor the vessel’s movements from its command centre at the Fifth Coast Guard District in Portsmouth. A vessel from salvage firm ‘Resolve Marine’ is also escorting the ‘Dali’ as an “extra pair of eyes”.
Unloading containers first
The ‘Dali’ will now first sail to Virginia International Gateway to unload about 1,500 containers to reduce its draft, the US Coast Guard told news channel CNN. The ship will then sail on to Norfolk International Terminal, where the damage to the ship’s bow will be repaired. According to cargo insurer WK Webster, the containers and cargo will be transferred to alternative ships to reach their final destination.
Eight crew members home
Some crew members of the ‘Dali’ were given permission to leave for home by a federal judge last week. Of the 10 who were given permission to leave, eight have done so, Darrell Wilson, a spokesman for ship operator Synergy Marine told news channel CNN. The total 24 seafarers are mainly from India and Sri Lanka. Under the agreement, the crew members returning home must be available for witness statements.
Four crew members remained on the ship to assist a relief crew during the journey of the ‘Dali’ to Norfolk, Wilson said. After the voyage, they will join the seven remaining crew members, who must remain in the US indefinitely.
None of the crew has been charged in connection with the disaster, but an investigation is ongoing to determine who might be responsible. The ship’s officers are among the 11 crew members to remain in the US, Wilson said. They have cooperated with authorities, but it is unclear when they will be allowed to leave.
New bridge
Monday 24 June also marked the end of Maryland’s deadline for submitting proposals to rebuild the bridge. According to procurement rules, the state is not allowed to give information about the proposals until the contract is awarded and the state has announced the design team. The state estimates to communicate the award and announcement sometime in mid- to late-summer. Officials have said they hope to rebuild the bridge in 2028.
Business as usual
With the departure of the ‘Dali’ from Baltimore’s port and plans to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge, it is quietly back to business as usual in Baltimore. Still, the collision and the bridge’s collapse would have caused several thousand dock workers, truck drivers and small business owners to lose their jobs.
Since 20 May 2024, all commercial ships can once again sail to and from the Port of Baltimore. Cruise ships, meanwhile, are also sailing back into the port after a long absence. The economic damage caused by the collision of the ‘Dali’ with the Franciss Scott Key Bridge would amount to about $1 million per ship.
