The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its final report and confirmed that the primary cause of the container ship Dali disaster was a single, loose signal wire in the electrical distribution cabinet. It was improperly labeled and inserted into the terminal, leading to poor contact and intermittent power surges.
📌 How the Events Unfolded on March 26, 2024
Approximately 20 minutes after leaving the Port of Baltimore, the Dali began experiencing power outages:
🟢 the main switchboard tripped,
🟢 navigation power went out,
🟢 the steering gear failed,
🟢 the main engines stalled, and the ship lost control.
The crew attempted to restart the systems, but time was critical—the Dali was drifting directly toward the bridge abutment. The crew managed to report a loss of control, which allowed traffic to be closed on the bridge, but the impact itself could not be prevented.
The collision caused the immediate collapse of the central span, killing six road workers who were repairing the bridge.
📌 What the investigators found
🟢 An incorrectly installed wire caused a chain reaction of electrical system failures.
🟢 Electrical equipment checks were performed perfunctorily, without identifying a defect.
🟢 The bridge lacked adequate protection against ship impact—the NTSB stated that the infrastructure’s vulnerability was known in advance.
🟢 The disaster was “preventable at several stages.”
✈️ The Dali case became one of the most striking examples of how a microscopic technical detail can lead to billions in damages, destroyed infrastructure, and loss of life.
Seamen’s Club 🇺🇦 | #news