Very sad breaking news out of Baltimore…..yet another allision. M.V. “Dali”

[retdmarineengineer]

Very sad incident with loss of life and damage to property. Just read through the posts and very informative. I think a probable cause could be a steering gear failure initiating a blackout – the first as well as the consequent blackout (assuming only 2). I am assuming that the steering gear is a standard 4 ram system with 2-3 hydraulic pumps with one of them (possibly smaller kW connected to the emergency switchboard/bus - ESB). I have experienced a failure mode on one of our chartered vessels of the same vintage where there was hydraulic lock spuriously activated by an ‘auto isolation valve’ that is designed to isolate 2 rams on either side of the tiller in case of an oil leak from a burst hydraulic hose. Low level switch on the expansion tank initiates the auto isolation. A hydraulic lock potentially can damage the ram pin and the slide in the tiller (with the tiller/rudder stuck and frozen – in this case maybe a few degrees stbd (right). During this hydraulic lock event the current and power drawn from the pumps connected to the MSB (main bus board) could rise to full load that is substantially higher than normal. One of the pumps may also have single phase protection with very high current trip setting. Did this spike create a high current or low frequency trip? Maybe. Likely low frequency trip as the high current will only trip the breaker with the SSDGs operating. Also the preferential trip to isolate the reefer load should kick in without delay to prevent the high current trip.
Did this event lead to the vessel going off course with the wake? Power is restored, main engine is started and maybe full astern command given along with rudder command. Vessel does not respond and the Bridge crew realize the main steering gear pumps are off and when they switch on, the second blackout.

Just some thoughts/theories as so many of you are interested to get to the root cause.

[CEUnlimited]

A call to the USCG and a 2692 needs to be done anytime the maneuverability of the vessel may be affected.
The CFR is is a little vague on purpose. It is the CE and Captain’s licences on the line. You should notify the company, call the USCG and file a 2692 to cover your bases. The USCG usually defers to Class but may attend or want clarification and written statements the situation has been rectified.
Port State, Class and the USCG are your friends.
To many mariners and companies consider them the enemy.
Error on the side of caution and safety. That is your licence insurance.CYA.

[CROSSBOLT]

Hello, mates! Been awhile. Sorry this disaster any reason to comment so will post data and ask questions.

Wikipedia probably got most of this right:

MV Dali

Big, heavy, major capabilities in ME and electrical power, fixed pitch and 3000 hp bow thruster.

1. What is modern practice leaving/entering port regarding generators and buss isolation?
2. What control of plant operation is really convenient? (meaning is the whole thing in a control booth with switches a finger could operate)
3. Who and how many on watch , where for entering/leaving port?
4. Is the Chief Engineer a four-stripe on a par with the ship’s Captain? (A-la 1938 American States Lines era)
5. What was the maintenance record of this company and vessel?

[yacht_sailor]

Question about bad fuel:
I can see fuel pressure and filter vacuum from the helm. Assuming that this ship had similar gauges or sensors someplace, is it possible for bad fuel to sneak up on you or would you see rising vacuum and falling pressure for some time before?

[Hogsnort]

A very good summary. As master I saw all the correspondence relating to the entire ship and was present at all meetings during docking periods and generally discussed the days events with the C/Engineer over a beer at night (lucky us).
Just a few things on a 18,000 kW MAN B&W, the main lube oil pump was engine driven and there was an electric lube oil pump of similar side on standby. The ME would run for a time during a blackout but cooling water supplied by electric pumps did not mean long.
The electrical supply to deck ( reefer plugs) galley and other non- essentials are on preferences and will automatically trip.
Going back a bit it would seem that MV Dali’s ME has a much smaller output than a container ship carrying a quarter the number of TEU in the past.
One such ship I was 2/mate of had 2 MAN main engines 900mm bore 12 cylinder each 24000 kW each and 5 MaK M60 auxiliaries each about 3500 kW. She had a Conair system for 2300 reefers and until the reefers settled down after loading all 5 generators would be running at capacity.
The turns for 27 knots were 126 rpm.

[Bayrunner]

Atlantic Enterprise is in the C&D towing the Chesapeake 1000, Atlantic Salvor is inbound off the DL capes, 2 other DonJon tugs are close behind.

Here comes the Cavalry.

[spowiednick]

@Ausmariner

We are now potentially dealing with vessels in the order of 150,000ts displacement.

here is an interesting formula for accumulated energy of such a huge mass:

Vessel Collision energy KE = 500 x Ch x M x V x V. Ch = hydrodynamic Mass coef. M = vessel displacement tonnage in (Mg). V = vessel impact velocity (m/sec.). KE in (J). Typical Ch = 1.05 when under keel clearance is less than 1/2 draft.

Source : FB under Dr.Sal profile one of the commentators in Q&A video thread.

[Meme.Lord]

@tugsailor

But why should US taxpayers be funding billionaire foreign shipowners with $$$ Trillions of infrastructure costs.

Why have US tax payers been funding billionaire auto makers with billions in road infastructure costs?

Why are US tax payers funding air traffic controllers?

Any other number of why are we payibg for this is simple, we’re a 1st world county, and our citizens expect a life of luxury. I want to be able to buy a toilet plunger for $4.58, and I want to be able to drive my King Ranch F350 to wallmart to pick it up, and fill up the gas tank on the way home.

[spowiednick]

@Meme.Lord

we’re a 1st world county, and our citizens expect a life of luxury.

Appreciate your patriotism with huge WOW!!! but I thought life of luxury in USA starts with buying in Loro Piana instead of Wallmart or “one dollar” and dirving Maybach Exelero instead of Ford " for the masses" .

And I doubt that toilet plunger made in USA costs 4.58 instead of 45.8 unless made in China. But I can be wrong of course.

[freighterman1]

@Louisd75

It seems like the gCapt knowledge pool on slow speeds is much shallower than I realized. I’ve been working slow speeds since 2007 with a 5 year hiatus into the world of medium speeds that ended almost 10 years ago. I’m just shy of a decade as a senior engineering officer. Based off of the ships I’ve been on, I’m comfortable making some generalizations with the caveat that there are always going to be the outlier ships that I haven’t experienced that don’t go with the generalizations…

IMO, @Louisd75 's explanation here is the single best written explanation of how the systems on a typical vessel like this would work. All facts, no snark. He should flog it to all media outlets, as an education if nothing else. A great piece of exposition on a technical subject.

[Ausmariner]

Just on another matter and a question for the locals.

I appreciate that the Key Bridge was a very busy thoroughfare but why was traffic not stopped at both ends during vessel inward/outward transits?

[New3M]

Because 35k vehicles crossed it everyday.

Please show me another bridge that shuts down for vessel traffic, obviously not including bridges that have to move.

Why was the bridge even built in the first place? Somebody else said a tunnel was a great idea

Better yet, why was the terminal built so far up? Surely it would have been better for everybody to build it closer to the ocean.

Come on.

[BrownWaterGuy]

Your orignal statement was that it “should have been filed” as in past tense. I disagree with the past tense part since both the CFR and the forms instructions state you have 5 days to file. I agree with everything else you said 100%

[Ausmariner]

@New3M

Please show me another bridge that shuts down for vessel traffic, obviously not including bridges that have to move.

No problem. The main fixed span bridge in Hobart, Tasmania. Traffic is stopped for vessel transits.

Two spans were knocked over in 1975 and 12 souls were killed……7 crew members and 5 car drivers. It is the primary city bridge and carries a lot of traffic. The vessel was the SV “Lake Illawarra “ which had steering issues resulting in the allision. The wreck now lies in 35m well out of the channel.

Following the re build all transiting vessels are tug escorted and traffic is stopped. It would appear that we don’t heed the lessons.

Is that sufficient “come on” for you?

[DogBreath]

Does this thing have a bow thruster? I thought I saw up there someone said there was or am I misreading? Does anyone have a layout of the ship to share?

A pilot calling down to ECR strenuously for an electric bow thruster could have prompted the ECR crew to bypass the 2 generator load limit on the switchboard to get it online then they overloaded the board, playing musical generators trying to keep it going. Maybe. Does anyone even know if this is LV or HV bus? Probably might not matter.

Until we see more about fuel supply, purification and storage we’ll see. Fuel management on these is a complicated game with different incompatible fuels and switching between them underway which is a tricky process that could wreck the engines or stop the ship if done wrong. Heaters, chillers, pumps, valves, autofilters, ultrasonics & cleaning chemicals, maximum filter & candle cleaning cycles before you start falling behind on your reserves, purifiers, viscometer control loops, piping & skid configurations, parts & consumables stream, tons of stuff to keep you thinking, all with some kinds of issues and hourmeters ticking along till the next job.

Many modes of failure in the fuel room leading to blackout a source of ongoing time & resource sucking issues available. A full time job when everything’s running right. But it’s a fact that they should be on ULSFO fuel there in Baltimore.

For all we know the engine crew could have just come out of a piston pull or similar and the job went great, no related issues and everyone was tired. Overworked crew could be an issue, maybe not. Had they bunkered recently?

As someone else said there could be steering problems. As I know a modern steering like 2014 vintage should have a couple independent hydraulic units and the automation should be such that it restarts an available unit single seconds after restoration of either E or main bus. And if the nav lights are on the E bus should be on, there should be power available for steering barring issues.

If there’s a steering overload or any other alarms it’lll flip to the other unit if available or keep running if not. If for some reason there’s an electrical fault it’ll autorun the last unit till there’s short circuit current and it trips the breaker (or destruction if it’s a bearing or coupling or something). And a moderate wiring or winding fault can force a pretty good load onto the board as could starting a unit against a locked or dragging steering motor rotor.

It’s all wild speculation again that there was even a steering problem at this point and I’d let the experts decide whether they think they had steering or BT based on video motion of the vessel. Maybe there’s new info out I don’t know about too.

@New3M

Why was the bridge even built in the first place? Somebody else said a tunnel was a great idea

There is a tunnel. I bet it’s about to see more traffic.

[spowiednick]

They have a BT 3000 HP

[New3M]

@DogBreath

Does this thing have a bow thruster?

It has a bow thruster. A bow thruster is pretty much useless at 8 knots - pretty unlikely the pilot was asking for that right after the blackout.

[New3M]

@Ausmariner

No problem. The main fixed span bridge in Hobart, Tasmania. Traffic is stopped for vessel transits.

Ok, so 1. You proved me wrong.

There’s 600,000 bridges in the US. I can’t find how many can be cleared by a ship. I can probably name 50 off the top of my head. Closing every major bridge every time a ship wants to move is not a practical solution.

[Old_school]

@New3M

Why was the bridge even built in the first place? Somebody else said a tunnel was a great idea

Originally the Transit Authority wanted a tunnel but it was found that it would cost “substantially higher” than expected, a cheaper bridge was approved instead.

Francis Scott Key Bridge (Baltimore)

Everything is always so clear in hindsight. It is such a pity we are cursed with such vision to be able to look backwards so well.

[Hawespiper]

@Hogsnort

18,000 kW MAN B&W, the main lube oil pump was engine driven

Was this a slow speed, reversible engine? If so, how did the LO pump running backwards work?

@Hogsnort

MAN main engines 900mm bore 12 cylinder each 24000 kW…turns for 27 knots were 126 rpm

Based on RPM and rating for a 12 cyl/90cm bore engine, this must have been a long, long time ago