The maritime industry is grappling with the ramifications of a recent incident involving the MV Dali, a Singapore-registered container ship, which resulted in the collision with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. Former ship captain Sachin Saxena, who spent 13 years at the helm of large vessels, provides critical insight into the complexities of navigating ships into and out of ports and the potential causes and management of such incidents.
According to Saxena, entering or leaving a port is fraught with challenges that demand careful consideration of currents, underwater terrain, and structures such as bridges. The incident involving the MV Dali, which experienced a power failure resulting in a collision with the bridge, the inherent risks and the strict protocols that exist to prevent such occurrences. “Hitting a bridge would be a navigation team’s worst nightmare,” Saxena remarked, acknowledging the protocols in place to avoid such situations.
In the event of a power failure, dropping the anchor is a primary immediate action, but it is not always effective if the ship maintains significant momentum. Emergency generators provide critical support for emergency steering, yet the full control of the ship may not be available instantly. “It takes time to slow a ship down…it won’t just stop,” Saxena explained, indicating that maritime emergencies require tailored responses.
As an internal auditor post-captaincy, Saxena emphasizes the importance of rigorous maintenance and adheres to the Planned Maintenance System, which prescribes maintenance routines for ships analogous to those recommended by car manufacturers for vehicles.
Following incidents like the MV Dali’s, shipping companies mobilize emergency control rooms to coordinate the response. This includes examining the ship’s black box for insights into the crew’s actions and communications prior to the accident. “We cannot change what happened, but thousands of vessels trading worldwide can learn from this,” Saxena stated.
The wider implications of maritime incidents include cybersecurity concerns. Experts speculate whether the MV Dali’s crash may have been caused by a cyberattack on the vessel’s control system. Cyber incidents involving maritime control systems are distressingly frequent, with GPS breaches and vulnerabilities in shipboard systems causing disruptions in navigation.
It is important to note that the captain and crew of the Dali were Indian, while two local U.S. pilots were operating the vessel during the collision. Misinformation had spread online, incorrectly assigning blame to a Ukrainian individual who had previously been associated with the ship.
Relevant articles:
– I steered ships like the Dali for 13 years. Entering and leaving a port is extremely challenging — here’s what should have been done in Baltimore., Business Insider, Mar 28, 2024
– I steered ships like the Dali for 13 years. Entering and leaving a port is extremely challenging — here’s what should have been done in Baltimore., Yahoo News UK
– Could the Dali container ship incident have been a control system cyberattack?, controlglobal.com, 6 days ago
– Captain of container ship that caused Baltimore bridge collapse is Indian, not Ukrainian, AP News