It'd be nice if we had more specs on the vessel's actual plant. Wikipedia now has an article on the ship itself.
Construction of
Dali began in 2014 in
HD Hyundai Heavy Industries'
Ulsan shipyard in
South Korea.
[5] The ship is based on the "Hyundai 9000 wide beam" design, modified to increase container capacity from 9,034 TEU to 9,962 TEU by relocating the wheelhouse from three-quarters aft to a more forward position.
[8] Dali and her
sister ship Cezanne[9] were christened with the names of the painters,
Salvador Dalí and
Paul Cézanne.
[4] Both vessels were delivered to owner Oceanbulk Maritime SA in early 2015, for charter by
Maersk.
[8] Dali was registered in
Majuro,
Marshall Islands.
[10]
| General characteristics | |
|---|
| Class and type | Neopanamax container ship |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 299.92 m (984 ft 0 in) |
| Beam | 48.2 m (158 ft 2 in) |
| Draught | 15.03 m (49 ft 4 in) |
| Depth | 24.8 m (81 ft 4 in) |
| Installed power | MAN-B&W 9S90ME-C9.2; 41,480 kW (55,630 hp) |
| Propulsion | Single shaft; fixed pitch propeller |
| Speed | 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph) |
| Capacity | 9,971 TEU |
The "Hyundai 9000 wide beam" part is key, because it gives us an opportunity to look for other ships of a similar class for even more data, since all these marine database sites are so stingy on their data about the Dali (most of them want a subscription of some kind; completely ridiculous).
A quick search reveals another ship of the same class, the Jenny Box, ordered by Maersk.
The ship was renamed the Saltoro. Another search for "Maersk Saltoro" gives us even more data and photos on this type of vessel. It looks practically identical to the Dali.
| Flag | Singapore |
| Call sign | 9V5997 |
| MMSI | 563062200 |
| Vessel type | Container Ship |
| Year of build | 2015 |
| Operating status | In Service/Commission (since 30/07/2015) |
| Former names | MAERSK SALTORO
JENNY BOX |
Tonnage
| Deadweight (DWT) | 117176 |
| Gross Tonnage, mt | 94730 |
| Net Tonnage | 52150 |
| TPC | 129.4 |
| Length (OA) | 299.92 |
| Length (BP) | 287.01 |
| Beam | 48.19 |
| Draft | 15.03 |
| Depth | 24.8 |
Cargo
| Reefer TEU | 1400 |
| TEU | 9962 |
| Gear Details | Gearless |
| Gear Type | Gearless |
Engine
| Engine Type | Diesel |
| Engine Builder | MAN B&W |
| Model | 9S90ME-C9 |
| Number | 1 |
| RPM | 83 |
| Stroke Type | 2 |
| Cylinder Stroke | 3260 |
| Cylinder Bore | 900 |
| Total Power KW | 41480 |
| Total Power HP | 56396 |
| Thruster | B-1-3000 |
| Propulsion type | Fixed Pitch |
| Propulsion number | 1 |
| Speed | 22 |
This tells us a lot. It doesn't tell us anything about the auxiliary power, but it does tell us a few key things about the main propulsion. The main engine is a MAN B&W 9S90ME-C9, direct drive, connected to a fixed-pitch prop. These engines are gigantic, multi-story things with catwalks all over them.
The electrical power would come from a separate, much smaller diesel generator. Since that's what apparently failed (we can clearly see the ship losing electrical power and the lights going out in the footage), that's the data I'm after.
A bit more digging, tossing in some keywords about the Maersk Saltoro and its generators, and I've got it.
https://www.scheepvaartwest.be/CMS/index.php/containerships/7105-maersk-saltoro-imo-9725706 -
https://archive.md/U1GKv
| Name | MAERSK SALTORO |
| Previous names | 07.2015 - 08.2015 Jenny Box |
| Type | Cellular containership - Carriage of dangerous goods, Refrigerated cargo |
| IMO-number | 9725706 |
| Call sign | HPZK |
| Flag | Republic of Panama |
| Port of registry | Panama City |
| Previous flags | 07.2015 - 10.2016 Marshall Islands, Majuro - call sign: V7MN3 |
| GT | 94.730 t registered |
| DWT | 117.175,7 t |
| NT | 52.150 t registered
Panama: 94.349 t |
| Number of 40ft containers | 9.962 |
| Container capacity 14t | 7.280 |
| Reefer capacity | 1.400 |
| Length | 299,92 m overall
287,00 m between perpendiculars |
| Breadth | 48,20 m moulded |
| Draught | 14,50 m |
| Freeboard | 5.256 mm |
| Depth | 24,80 m moulded |
| Speed | Max.: 21,0 knots |
| Built | 2016 |
| Keel laid | 12.01.2015 |
| Launch date | 22.05.2015 |
| Delivery date | 30.07.2015 |
| Builder | Hyundai Heavy Ind. Co., Ltd.
Ulsan
South Korea |
| Yard number | 2681 |
| Hull material | High strength steel |
| Watertight bulkheads | 9 |
| Main engine | 1x MAN-B&W 9S90ME-C9.2 - 9 cylinder 900 x 3.260 mm diesel engine 41.480 KW at 82,5 rpm
Manufacturer: HHI Engine & Machinery Div. |
| Propellers | 1x
Manufacturer: HHI Engine & Machinery Div. |
| Boilers | 1x Exhaust Gas Boiler - 9,0 bar
1x Fired Boiler - 9,0 bar
Manufacturer: Kangrim Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. |
| Generators | 2x Main diesel generatorsets each 4.400 kW
2x Main diesel generatorsets each 3.840 kW
Manufacturer: HHI Electro Electric System |
| Number of holds | 7 |
| Number of tanks | Ballast: 19
Fuel oil: 10
Lubricating oil: 7
Diesel oil: 6
Waste water: 5
Fresh water: 3
Chain: 2
Sludge: 1 |
| Tank capacities 100% | Diesel Oil: 844,4 m³ / 762,10 t
Freshwater: 606,6 m³
Fuel Oil: 7.500,3 m³ / 7.356,02 t
Lube Oil: 386 m³ / 347,4 t
Tank Ballast: 28.461,1 m³ |
| Lifting equipment | 2x Engine room crane - SWL 12,5 t each
1x Monorail crane - SWL 12,5 t
2x Provision Crane - SWL 4,0 t
Manufacture: Oriental Precision Machinery Co., Ltd. |
| Manager | Green Spanker Shipping S.A.
Comosa Building
Samuel Lewis Avenue & Manuel Maria Icaza
Panama City
Republic of Panama |
| Previous managers | Oceanbulk, Athens - Greece |
| Operator | Maersk |
| Registered owner | Green Spanker Shipping S.A. |
| Latest data adjustment | 17 February 2017 |
This is what we're after:
2x Main diesel generatorsets each 4.400 kW
2x Main diesel generatorsets each 3.840 kW
Manufacturer: HHI Electro Electric System
This tells us that the generators are two 4.4 megawatt and two 3.84 megawatt Hyundai gensets. The exact model is not specified, but they're probably HiMSENs, which do have models in this power range.
Now, we just need to wait for the incident reports from the Coast Guard and NTSB. If it was an engineering casualty, they should have some details.
Apparently, this particular vessel has been plagued by ongoing retardation:
The Dali container ship had undergone 27 inspections since 2015, and it had been found to have two 'deficiencies', according to a CNN review of records from the Electronic Quality Shipping Information System (Equasis).
Notably, this included a June 2023 inspection in San Antonio, Chile, where a deficiency was found in the 'propulsion and auxiliary machinery' - with propulsion faults also noted in the early CISA report.
The Dali was also involved in a 2016 incident at the Port of Antwerp. A review in November of that year in Antwerp, Belgium found another 'deficiency' in its 'structural conditions.'
The
Dali container ship that struck Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge early Tuesday morning hit a Belgium port's stone wall in 2016.
The large vessel rammed one of the support columns of the bridge at about 1:30 a.m., causing the entire structure to break into several pieces and fall into the Patapsco River,
video posted to X (formerly Twitter) showed. The ship then caught fire, and thick smoke could be seen billowing out of it. Local authorities were initially looking for seven people in the river, and two have already been pulled out, according to the Associated Press. It was unclear if the two already rescued were included in the seven.
Informative, thank you. Do I remember rightly that you service/maintain ferries for a living?
Engine crew, actually. Preventative maintenance is part of the job.
The boat looks like it chucks out a load of black smoke just before it hits - is that them panicking and caning it ?
Possibly. It could be an E-gen starting up to take over from an auxiliary that went down, but it is a rather large plume. They might've been trying to go full astern at the last minute, but just didn't have the distance to stop.
A ship with a controllable-pitch prop can quickly go astern by changing prop pitch. The only way to reverse one of these huge container ships with a direct-drive diesel and a fixed-pitch prop is to zero out the shaft RPM and then actually reverse the engine itself. That takes quite a bit of time.
I managed to dig up
a document on the S90ME (presumably, the 9S90ME is a 9-cylinder version; this is typical for main engine model numbering) with quite a few details. I've attached it to the post.
Also, there's another update on the situation, from Maritime Executive:
As the search and rescue operation continues in Baltimore's harbor, the investigation into the cause of the allision between the container ship Dali and the Francis Scott Key Bridge is under way. Initial reports from regulators and federal authorities suggest that there are no signs of wrongdoing, and that a loss of power may have been the cause.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, the ship's flag state regulator, told local media that Dali had a "momentary loss of propulsion" and lost control of her heading, citing initial information it has received from the vessel operator. The crew dropped anchor prior to impact, MPA confirmed, and the port-side anchor chain is readily visible in photos from the scene.
The Baltimore Sun has also obtained a copy of the U.S. Coast Guard's initial casualty report. Pilots aboard the Dali said that the bridge team observed "power issues, multiple alarms on the bridge, and the loss of propulsion prior to the incident," the USCG reported.
"Loss of propulsion" is very vague and could mean anything. It could mean the actual main engine went down, or it could mean a loss of the steering, or a loss of the control electronics due to a ship service power blackout. In any case, it sounds like the pilothouse basically lost their handles. This is always a butthole-clenching scenario, because until the backups kick in, there's basically fuck-all the crew can do about it. They're adrift.
Another article indicates that the crew actually contacted authorities before the allision and got them to stop traffic on the bridge a couple minutes before the actual impact, because they knew there was a chance they'd smack right into it:
Roughly two minutes elapsed between when the ship's pilot notified state authorities of an issue on board and when the bridge collapsed, Baltimore County Executive John Olszewski said.
Officials said in a news conference that the call allowed officials to order a mayday and stop traffic onto the bridge.
Moore said that the decision to stop traffic onto the bridge "saved lives last night." Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott told CBS News that the mayday call "saved many lives" and allowed emergency personnel to get to the scene quickly.
It sounds like they did the right thing, for the most part, except for the part where you wave a wand and make an ailing plant on a giant container ship magically come back to life, which, sadly, isn't always possible.
Even though people may say, "Oh, it's just incompetent poojeets at it again", most people really have no idea how complex and failure-prone the machinery and electricals on these vessels really are. Sometimes, a plant on a motor vessel will completely shit itself from the stupidest little thing, and there's nothing you can do but kneel and fondle rosary beads.
absolute kino
