Containership Dali arrives in China for repairs

Local news outlets in China report that the Singaporean-flagged container vessel Dali, which was involved in a maritime accident that left six people dead in the United States earlier this year, has arrived at the Port of Fuzhou in Fujian province to undergo major repairs.

On March 26, Dali suffered a power loss as it was underway near the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland. The ship ended up striking one of the bridge's pillars, causing the entire structure to collapse and sending people and vehicles into Baltimore's Patapsco River. Six individuals who ended up in the water were later confirmed dead.

The ship was finally cleared to leave the US in September following initial repairs. However, additional repairs still needed to be undertaken at Fujian Huadong Shipyard due to significant damage suffered by the bow and the side thruster.

Even as Dali was cleared to sail, the US Department of Justice had filed a civil claim in the US District Court for the District of Maryland against Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine, the Singaporean corporations that owned and operated the ship. Both companies have agreed to settle the suit through the payment of damages amounting to nearly US$102 million.

The amount will partially cover the more than US$100 million in costs incurred by the United States in responding to the disaster. Response efforts include the removal of over 50,000 tonnes of steel, concrete, and asphalt from the channel and from the ship itself; and clearing a series of temporary channels to relieve the bottleneck at the Port of Baltimore and to mitigate some of the economic devastation caused by accident.