Sistership to Containership Dali Breaks Down in Pacific

 

One of the sisterships to the containership Dali which destroyed Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key bridge is reporting engine troubles in the Pacific. The vessel which is also managed by Synergy Marine and sailing under charter as the Maersk Saltoro is reported to have experienced an engine problem which is delaying the ship and risking a cargo of Chilean cherries bound for China.

The details of the vessel’s current issues came to light because of concerns by the Chilean shippers. According to the vessel’s AIS signal, it departed Chile on December 27 and was due in China on January 19 providing time to offload before the Chinese New Year Holiday on January 29. 

“We can confirm that the Maersk-chartered vessel, Maersk Saltoro, reported a technical issue with its main engine on January 13, 2025, while en route from San Antonio, Chile, to Nansha New Port, China,” Maersk wrote to the Chilean publication PortalPortuario. “The vessel is currently undergoing repairs in order to resume its voyage. We are in close communication with the ship owners to monitor the status of the repairs.”

According to the report, the ship was one of 25 container ships that loaded cherries at the Port of San Antonio and has 1,300 containers aboard of the perishable cargo. Chile reports a record season shipping 17,000 containers of cherries. The shipping lines even maintain a season route known as the Cherry Express for the export of the fruit.

The outlet AsiaFruit reports concerns of an economic loss for Chilean exporters. Maersk responded to the publication acknowledging “This situation has raised concerns in the Chilean fruit export sector, as timely delivery is essential to maintain the quality of the cherries and meet the stringent requirements of the Chinese market.” Maersk emphasized that it has teams available and will assist the shippers should claims need to be filed.

The containership was built in 2015 by Hyundai in South Korea and like the Dali is also sailing under the flag of Singapore. Like its sistership, the vessel has a capacity of 9,971 TEU.

The ship first drew attention in September 2024 when it made a port call in Baltimore less than six months after the Dali destroyed the bridge. Investigators from the U.S. Coast Guard, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), and the EPA boarded the ship on September 21. They declined to comment on what they were looking for, but it was linked to the investigation into the Dali. Reports indicated that the teams had found significant electrical system issues and faults with the Dali during their investigations.

Maersk Saltoro underwent a Port State inspection in Chile on December 20 and received a clean report. Previously, USCG cited issues while the vessel was in Baltimore with oil accumulation in the engine room and electric devices in the living and working areas during its September 2024 inspection and issues with the radar during an inspection in Norfolk, Virginia. The vessel has a history of 14 inspections in its career with only those issues in the U.S. recorded. No detentions have been issued.

As of the reports from Chile this week, the vessel was still undergoing repairs while in Micronesia's exclusive economic zone. It is unclear when it will arrive in China. Her sistership, Dali, returned to service this week beginning her first trip from China after extensive repairs.