A cargo ship whose bridge collapsed in the US was already involved in a collision in 2016, causing 'impaired navigation'.

The freighter Daly was already involved in a 2016 collision when the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed over the Patapsco River in Baltimore (USA) early this Tuesday (26/3) morning. Port of Antwerp (Belgium).

Of the 27 inspections carried out since the Dolly was built in 2015, two were flagged as “deficient”, according to records from the Electronic Ship Quality Information System (Equasis) seen by the CNN broadcaster.

According to Equasis records, in June 2023, authorities gave the Dali a “deficiency in propulsion and auxiliary machinery – gauges, thermometers, etc.”

After the 2016 collision, Belgian authorities confirmed to CNN, the ship was “incapacitated” for “structural conditions” described as “damage to the hull affecting the seabed”.

The 300-meter-long and 48-meter-wide Daly container was trying to leave the terminal for Bremerhaven, Germany, when its bow spun and its stern scraped, according to maritime incident archive Shipreclog. Damages several meters of crust.

The container ship was last inspected by the US Coast Guard in New York on September 9, 2023. According to Equasis, no defects were reported at the time.

Singapore authorities said the Francis Scott was carrying 22 crew members and two pilots when it crashed into the Key Bridge.

Eight people were on the bridge at the time of the collapse and six are still missing – repair workers on the bridge. Two people were rescued, one of whom is in critical condition at a hospital, officials said. Sonar detected cars on the Patapsco River bed.