Ship that crashed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge to sail to China

The Dali lost power and hit the structure in March, killing six people and temporarily closing the shipping channel into Baltimore

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Tugboats escort the cargo ship Dali after it was refloated in Baltimore in May. Photo: AP

Published: 1:08pm, 5 Sep 2024

The Dali was bound for Sri Lanka on March 26, the day it instead struck and knocked over the Francis Scott Key Bridge and, nearly six months later, it will embark on another Asian voyage.

The 984-foot (300-metre) container ship, which is currently receiving repairs in Norfolk, Virginia, will sail directly to China “on or about September 17, 2024” according to a letter filed by the Department of Justice Wednesday.

The letter states that the ship’s owner and manager have informed “claimants” of their intent to sail and that from Thursday through September 14, the claimants will be able to “perform inspections and testing”.

That does not necessarily mean the ship will actually depart by mid-September. Both times the Dali was moved since the disaster – from the middle of the Patapsco River to the Port of Baltimore and then from Baltimore to Norfolk – it departed later than initially expected.

The Dali lost power in the early morning of March 26, toppling the Key Bridge, killing six construction workers and temporarily closing the shipping channel into Baltimore.

After explosives were used to cut up a huge piece of bridge sitting atop the vessel, the ship was refloated and towed back to the Port of Baltimore in May. In June, the ship, escorted by four tugboats, made the 23-hour trip to Norfolk, where the ship received extra repairs.