Dali Departs Norfolk Bound for China
The containership Dali slipped out of Norfolk, Virginia midday on Thursday, September 19, 176 days after she drew worldwide attention with the blackout and allision with Baltimore’s Francis Scot Key Bridge. She could be seen moving at about 10 knots escorted by three tugboats as well as the U.S. Coast Guard taking her out of Hampton Roads.
The USCG told WAVT in Norfolk that the ship would be escorted out to the Chesapeake Bay buoy. They were maintaining a 500-yard safety zone around the ship. According to the vessel’s AIS signal, it is bound for Ningbo, Zhoushan, China. It is scheduled to arrive in China in 46 days on November 4.
The harbor cam showed the Dali riding very high in the water. Her container racks are empty.
The ship has been in Norfolk, Virginia since June. It was initially transferred from Baltimore under escort to Portsmouth, Virginia, and then relocated to Norfolk to offload containers and undergo some repairs. The ship had been emptied by late August with the owners and operators notifying the court that the ship would depart in mid-September bound for China where it is believed the ship will be repaired.
She leaves in her wake a complicated series of legal cases that are likely to take years to resolve. Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a $100 million claim for the cost of clearing the debris and reopening Baltimore Harbor. The filing contained a long list of allegations of problems in the electrical systems and with the maintenance of the ship saying the incident was highly avoidable.
Maryland is expected to file an additional claim for the value of the destroyed bridge and the cost of replacing the bridge. There are other claims including from the City of Baltimore and businesses impacted by the loss of the bridge as well as the families of road crew workers killed when the bridge collapsed.
No criminal charges have been filed. The Federal Bureau of Investigations has inspected the ship but is not commenting on the status of its investigation.