Was the striking vessel 'defective' during its voyage? The U.S. bridge collision may face astronomical claims.

The Baltimore bridge collision incident continues to ferment, with the offending vessel alleged to have had power problems for some time, even experiencing a complete power outage requiring emergency repairs days before the incident. This incident could result in insurance claims as high as 29 billion yuan, a record high.

Power outage two days before the incident? Mechanical defects were found on the "Dali" last year.

According to CNN, Julie Mitchell, co-administrator of cargo tracking company Container Royalty, revealed that the "Dali" had stayed in the Port of Baltimore for at least 48 hours before the bridge collision incident. During these two days, the ship experienced serious power problems, a complete power outage, and the engine lost power.

Mitchell said that the ship's refrigerated containers repeatedly tripped the circuit breaker, and the mechanics were trying to solve the problem. However, she said she didn't know if the problem had been solved when the "Dali" departed.

In Mitchell's view, such a significant power problem on a large vessel like the "Dali" is "actually uncommon." She described the incident as "very rare." She pointed out: "They shouldn't have let the ship leave the port before the power was controlled."

According to previous reports, the "Dali" left the Port of Baltimore at 00:44 on March 26, local time, heading for Colombo, Sri Lanka. Shortly afterwards, the crew informed the Maryland Department of Transportation that they "could not control the vessel" and that the vessel might collide with the bridge, citing the loss of power. The ship eventually collided with a pier of the Francis Scott Key Bridge at 01:27 a.m., causing multiple fractures and collapses of the entire truss bridge.

US media described the accident as "the worst bridge collapse in the US in 44 years, since the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Florida was hit by a cargo ship and collapsed on March 9, 1980, killing 35 people."

At the time of the accident, six workers were pouring concrete on the bridge to repair the bridge deck. These six workers have been missing since falling into the water and are presumed dead. At least seven vehicles also fell into the water.

A senior crew member on the "Dali" said that before the bridge collision, the ship's engine "made a chugging sound and then stopped." "The ship stalled, there was no steering power, and no electronic equipment...the engine room was full of the smell of burnt fuel, and it was pitch black."

Normally, when a ship like the "Dali" loses power, the ship's backup generator will start, but it cannot perform all the same functions as the main power.

It is worth mentioning that as early as July 2016, the "Dali" had an accident in the Port of Antwerp. At that time, the ship also collided with the wharf during its departure. Public data shows that an inspection of the ship in the Port of Antwerp in 2016 found structural problems, "hull damage affecting its seaworthiness"; while in June last year, the ship was found to have "propulsion and auxiliary machinery" defects in Chile, but recent inspections found no defects.

The Port of Antwerp Authority said that after the 2016 accident, the ship stayed at the wharf for a period of time for repairs. A spokesperson for the port authority said: "Generally, these accidents are investigated, and ships are only allowed to leave after experts determine that they are safe."

Considering that this ship was just completed and delivered by Hyundai Heavy Industries of South Korea in March 2015, this means that the ship had an accident just one year after it was put into operation. According to Clarkson's data, the ship is equipped with a MAN B. & W. 9S90ME-C9.2 two-stroke engine, and the auxiliary engine comes from Hyundai Heavy Industries Engine & Machinery Division (HHI-EMD). In addition, the design used by the ship is also HHI's self-developed HHI 9200 TEU W-type design.

29 billion yuan in claims! More than 30 ships trapped in the port, logistics disruption may last for months.

It is understood that the "Dali" is 299.94 meters long, 48.21 meters wide, 14.50 meters draft, with a gross tonnage of 94,730 tons and a container capacity of 9,962 TEU. The ship is owned by the Singaporean company Grace Ocean, chartered to Maersk, flies the Singapore flag, and is classed by ClassNK.

The "Dali" is deployed on the route between the US East Coast and East Asia. The ship arrived in New York/New Jersey to unload cargo on March 19, and then arrived at the Baltimore Seagirt Marine terminal on March 24. After unloading a small number of containers, the ship left the Port of Baltimore in the early morning of March 26, preparing to sail to Colombo, Sri Lanka, to return to Asia. According to the original plan, the ship was to arrive in Sri Lanka on April 22.

The "Dali" accident caused great damage to shipping and road traffic in the Port of Baltimore. The collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge is the third longest span among continuous truss bridges in the world and the longest bridge in the Baltimore metropolitan area. The 8,636-foot (2,632-meter) long bridge carries four lanes of Interstate 695, with about 34,000 vehicles passing through daily, and an estimated 11.5 million vehicles annually.

After the accident, Maryland Governor Wes Moore declared a state of emergency. All shipping to and from the Port of Baltimore was suspended until all debris in the waterway was cleared. More than 30 ships were trapped in the Port of Baltimore, including tugboats, yachts, and ocean-going vessels such as bulk carriers and a container ship. In addition, at least 10 merchant ships were anchored outside the Port of Baltimore waiting to enter the port.

Data shows that the Port of Baltimore is the ninth largest trading port in the United States and one of the ports with the highest cargo throughput and value in the United States. Last year's international bilateral trade volume was about 50 million tons, accounting for 3% of the total US trade volume. Merchant ships can enter the Port of Baltimore via the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

Baltimore is the largest automobile import port in the United States, accounting for 15% of the total US automobile imports; the second largest coal export port in the United States, with exports of 25 million tons in 2023, accounting for 30% of the total US exports. At the same time, the port is also an important container trade port (throughput accounts for about 2% of the US total) and a chemical trade port (accounting for about 2% of US imports).

Previously, the world's largest container shipping company, Mediterranean Shipping Company, has warned customers that it will take "months" for the Port of Baltimore to resume normal operations, and the company will also cancel the Baltimore route for the "foreseeable future."

Lloyd's of London Chairman Bruce Carnegie-Brown, in an interview with Reuters, pointed out that the "Dali" bridge collision incident could result in billions of dollars in insurance claims, potentially becoming the largest single maritime insurance loss in history.

Marcos Alvarez, Managing Director of Morningstar DBRS Global Insurance Ratings, stated: "Depending on the duration of the blockage and the nature of the Baltimore port business interruption insurance, the insurance losses from the accident could range from $2 billion to $4 billion (approximately RMB 14.44 billion to RMB 28.88 billion), exceeding the approximately $2 billion insurance loss record from the 2012 grounding of the luxury cruise ship "Costa Concordia."

Currently, the "Dali"'s insurer, Britannia P&I, is cooperating with the shipowner and US authorities to investigate the incident.

It is understood that Britannia P&I is a member of the International Group of P&I Clubs. According to the International Group's claims system, claims exceeding $10 million will be shared among the 13 members of the International Group. Claims exceeding $100 million will be addressed through the International Group's reinsurance program. Data shows that the International Group holds up to $3.1 billion in general excess of loss reinsurance.