Dali and the Key Bridge: collapse, clearance and findings
Dali lost power and propulsion while leaving Baltimore on 26 March 2024 and struck the Key Bridge. Six highway workers died in the collapse. The response cleared the shipping channel; a later investigation examined the power loss.[4][3]
Last documented outcome
As of 18 Nov 2025
The sequence of events
5 dated reports · 26 Mar 2024 to 18 Nov 2025Power loss, impact and bridge collapse
Dali lost power and propulsion while outbound from Baltimore. It struck a bridge pier, bringing down much of the central span. NOAA's initial notice recorded port closure and a 2,000-yard safety zone.
NTSB reported casualty location
Reported points only. No inferred track. Playback advances every 5 seconds.
Milestone 1 of 5: 26 Mar 2024. Power loss, impact and bridge collapse. NTSB reported casualty location
Power loss, impact and bridge collapse
Dali lost power and propulsion while outbound from Baltimore. It struck a bridge pier, bringing down much of the central span. NOAA's initial notice recorded port closure and a 2,000-yard safety zone.
NTSB reported casualty location (39.217°, -76.529°)
Bridge section freed from the ship
Responders used controlled demolition to remove the bridge segment that had pinned Dali beneath roughly 10 million pounds of wreckage.
Dali moved out of the channel
The response team moved Dali. The following day, the limited-access channel was widened to 400 feet, allowing the port's previous deep-draft commercial traffic to return.
Full federal channel restored
Following wreckage removal and a survey, the channel returned to its 700-foot width and 50-foot depth. The wider channel again allowed two-way traffic.
NTSB identifies the blackout sequence
The NTSB found a loose wire initiated a sequence leading to two blackouts and loss of propulsion and steering. Wire-label banding had prevented the wire from seating fully in its terminal connection.
Details in the record
Reading this account
The map marks the casualty location reported by the NTSB, not the vessel's present location. Later steps concern removal, channel access and investigation; they do not provide new vessel positions. This account does not track bridge reconstruction progress.
A warning being cancelled does not establish that a vessel was recovered or a hazard disappeared. The outcome above comes from the cited follow-up reports.
Original sources
Account checked 6 Sept 2026. Follow-up is reviewed from these sources; this is not a live incident feed.
- 1.Francis Scott Key Bridge major marine casualty ↗NOAA IncidentNews
- 2.Dali preliminary report — reported casualty coordinates ↗NTSB · 14 May 2024
- 3.Full restoration of Baltimore's Fort McHenry Federal Channel ↗U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · 10 Jun 2024
- 4.Loose wire on Dali leads to blackouts and contact with Key Bridge ↗NTSB · 18 Nov 2025
Related records in our archive
Original source text, preserved separately from this account.
NOAAORR-10761 NOAA response record
Francis Scott Key Bridge Major Marine Casualty; Baltimore, MD. Baltimore, MD, USA. 1. At 0600, USCG Sector Maryland notified the NOAA SSC that The Port of Baltimore is closed due to a major marine casualty. The 948-foot Singapore-flagged vessel DALI struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge. A safety zone is established for all navigable waters of the Chesapeake Bay within a 2000-yard radius of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Search and Rescue (SAR) operations are underway. Vessel has sustained major damage to the bow. An unknown number of containers fell into the water and a number of containers on board the vessel are damaged. 2. THREAT: OIL. COMMODITY: BUNKER FUEL. MAXIMUM POTENTIAL RELEASE: 1500000 GALLONS. TAGS: ALLISION. 3. POSITION 39.270N 076.575W. NOAA INCIDENTNEWS 10761: https://incidentnews.noaa.gov/incident/10761Open record and warning history →
Follow another incident
Not for navigation. Follow official NAVAREA broadcasts and your national MSI service. About our sources.