Dali Container Ship 'Lost Control' Before Baltimore Bridge Collapse

The container ship that collided with Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge on Tuesday had "lost control" shortly before the incident, reports have revealed.

The Dali "lost propulsion" as it was leaving port and had warned Maryland officials of a possible collision, according to an unclassified report by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) cited by ABC News. Video footage shared online captured the bridge collapse, with the steel structure falling onto the ship below and flinging cars into the frigid waters, sparking a huge rescue operation.

"The vessel notified MD Department of Transportation (MDOT) that they had lost control of the vessel and an allision with the bridge was possible," the CISA said. "The vessel struck the bridge causing a complete collapse."

Newsweek has reached out by email to CISA, a government agency, seeking further information and comment.

Ship tracking service Marine Traffic shared a shared a graphic showing the vessel's course on X (formerly Twitter). The cargo ship, bound for Colombo, Sri Lanka, appears to veer off-course shortly before striking the bridge's support pillar. The graphic can be viewed below:

Analysis of the video footage by Sky News reporter Adam Parker appeared to show the ship losing power, with the lights going out and smoke emitting from the funnel before it hits the bridge.

Richard Worley, Baltimore's police chief, said there was "no indication" the collision had been deliberate or that it was an act of terrorism.

The FBI in Baltimore confirmed that its agents were at the scene and the agency later posted on X: "There is no specific and credible information to suggest any ties to terrorism at this time. The investigation is ongoing. FBI Baltimore will continue to support our partners at the local, state, and federal levels."

Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott has been posting updates on X throughout the morning. "We remain on site managing the Key Bridge Collapse incident, especially the ongoing search & rescue effort," he wrote.

"This is a multi-jurisdiction, multi-agency effort with federal, state, and local resources mobilizing. We will continue to make updates throughout the day."

As dawn broke over the river, photos shared from the scene on X by Harford County's volunteer fire and EMS crews showed the scale of the rescue operation facing the emergency services.

Newsweek has emailed the Baltimore Police Department, the Baltimore Fire Department, and the U.S. Coast Guard seeking updates as crews continue their rescue operation.

The ship's owner is listed as Grace Ocean, and its manager is listed as Synergy Marine, with both firms headquartered in Singapore.

Synergy Marine Corp told news agency Reuters that the Dali collided with one of the bridge's pillars and said all its crew members, including the two pilots, had been accounted for with no reports of any injuries.

The ship had been chartered by shipping company Maersk at the time, and the Danish company released a statement saying: "We are horrified by what has happened in Baltimore, and our thoughts are with all of those affected."

Maryland Governor Wes Moore has declared a state of emergency. He said in a statement that the state was "working with an interagency team to quickly deploy federal resources from the Biden administration."