Baltimore bridge accident ship Dali arrives in China for repairs

The vessel owned by Grace Ocean and managed by Synergy Marine suffered considerable damage in the incident with part of the roadway from the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsing onto its bow.

On 26 March, the container ship Dali was transiting out of Baltimore Harbour when it lost electrical power and propulsion and struck the southern pier supporting the central truss spans of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. A major portion of the bridge subsequently collapsed.

Six construction crewmembers on the bridge were fatally injured, one construction crewmember was seriously injured. One crew member on board the Dali was also injured.

It took salvors until 20 May to refloat the Dali, later sailing to Virginia to offload its remain boxes. The vessel departed US waters en route to China in late September and had arrived at Fujian Huadong Shipyard for extensive repairs.

Fujian Huadong Shipyard is one of the major ship repair yards in Southeast China, with a ship repair capacity of around 250 vessels per year. 

The Dali is at the centre of a number of lawsuits. Grace Ocean and Synergy have already settled a civil claim brought by the US Department of Justice for the costs of clearing the wreckage and the channel to the port of Baltimore following the bridge collapse for just under $102 million. The owners and managers stated that the settlement was not an admission of liability.

Related:Dali owners settle lawsuit with US Government

The state of Maryland is suing for the costs of rebuilding the bridge which is has estimated that it will cost up to $1.9 billion in a process that is likely to take four years. 

Grace Ocean and Synergy are attempting to limit their liability to around $43 million in a case that will now be heard in June 2026.