Posted on 03/27/2024 12:53:12 PM PDT by rxsid
Dali cargo ship suffered 'severe electrical problem' while docked in Baltimore days prior to bridge collapse crash that saw it suffer 'total power failure, loss of engine failure', port worker says
The Dali cargo ship which smashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge suffered a 'severe electrical problem' while docked in Baltimore days before, according to a port worker.
Julie Mitchell, co-administrator of Container Royalty, a company which tracks cargo, told CNN the ship was anchored at the port for at least 48 hours prior to the deadly crash.
'And those two days, they were having serious power outages… they had a severe electrical problem,' Mitchell told the broadcaster. 'It was total power failure, loss of engine power, everything.'
Mitchell explained that refrigerated boxes tripped breakers on board the ship on several occasions, and mechanics had been trying to fix the issue. She said she didn't know whether the problem had been fixed when the ship set off.
...
Mitchell told CNN that major power problems on board large vessels like the Dali are 'not really that common at all', describing the freak incident as 'very rare'.
One officer on the Dali also said that before the crash, the engines 'coughed and then stopped.' There was not enough time before the ship hit the bridge to drop anchors prompting the vessel to drift.
'The vessel went dead, no steering power and no electronics... The smell of burned fuel was everywhere in the engine room and it was pitch black,' the officer said.
When a ship such as the Dali loses power, backup generators kick in but they do not fulfill all of the same functions as the main power, Pagoulatos said.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
However, would 2-7 kts of breeze and ~0.2-2 kts of current cause a ship of that size and weight to change course that drastically in that short of a distance (as seen in the video)?
Conditions as of: 2024-03-27 16:30 EDT
https://buoybay.noaa.gov/locations/patapsco
“there is nothing that could have been done to that bridge including bolstering the piers which would have prevented the collapse
Are you sure?”
Yes
But, I live in rural Osage Co. OK...A couple hours ago...I saw two jets turn sharp around and go south. I have never seen that.
Have jet's all the time go over flyover country.
But this was different.
That's just what I saw...Yeah maybe nothing...Was just odd.
Looks more like a DEI accident.
Expect more to come
Are you positive?
I’m reminded if the New Carissa incident. To avoid paying multi-thousand $$$ fees to have the longshoremen’s union labor open the hatches in port, the shop’s captain opened them as they sat anchored offshore. A storm came up, and the open hatches acted as sails, driving the ship into a beach.
I was monitorying the buoy FSKM2 at the bridge, at 1:58 AM, March 26, 2024:
Winds from the east at 8 knots, gusts to 11 knots.
Water temp. 42.8 deg F.
Later - an hour or so:
Winds from the east at 9 knots, gusts to 11 knots.
Water temp. 42.9 deg F.
[I saw two jets turn sharp around and go south.]
A sharp turn -— fighter jets, I’m guessing?
Anchors make poor emergency brakes. The New Carissa was driven from a dead, anchored stop by storm winds.
I watched a drone video from the DOT and I could see virtually NO protection for the bridge piers.
I thought that after the Skyway Bridge collapse many years ago that every major bridge was equipped with pier protection.
Yep my guess too....Just never saw that...and lived here a long time.
I’m not that far from an (unnamed) base (about 40 miles) - there are days I hear a LOT of roar going overhead
In the video, you can see it maneuvering and smoke coming out the stack as they hit the gas.
Actually every sailor doesn't know that. Im a sailor and believe me, dropping anchor is NOT the first thing you do. It doesnt even make a top 7 things to do in a loss of power casualty..
How about,
Alerting the crew, ,
3 emergency blows to warn other ships to get out of the way,
send a mayday,
get control of the rudder by any and all means necessary,
clear the deck,
order emergency power cut to everything except steering,
order all shutdown safeties on the engines bypassed and get them started.
BTW, a silent Prayer was #1
the ship was 95,000 tons, at 8 knots they could have just as well jettisoned the anchor- it wouldnt stop that ship at 8 knots anyway.
and if the tugs break down?
If that trend was the same for the 1/2 hour preceding when you were monitoring, the wind speed would have been around ~7 knots (or ~8 mph) with perhaps guests to 10 knots (or ~11.5 mph).
What was the distance the ship traveled when it lost power to impact? Would 8-12 mph winds be enough to cause that ship to change course that significantly in that span of distance?
Not necessarily.
There is often excessive black smoke when starting a diesel engine or a boiler.
Especially if you are in a hurry and maybe not feeding it the exact right air-fuel mixture.
:)
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