Engineers examining the Dali found a loose electric cable that could have triggered the blackout preceding the destruction of the Key Bridge.
A report from the National Transportation Safety Board published Wednesday says engineers from Hyundai, the Korean manufacturer who built the ship as well as most of its electrical components, sent three separate envoys from South Korea to examine the vessel in April and May.
The Hyundai engineers found a loose cable that can create an open circuit and ran a simulation in which they disconnected the loose cable. The vessel immediately lost power for around 10 seconds, according to the report.
After losing power in the early morning of March 26, the ship toppled the span into the Patapsco River, killing six people working on the bridge. In May, the NTSB released a report that said the vessel lost power twice the day before, and less than three minutes before the vessel struck the Key Bridge, the vessel experienced blackouts. That report also said the ship was not running on contaminated fuel, and the entire crew tested negative for drugs or alcohol.
The 41-page report published Wednesday includes details and observations on the ship’s electrical system and does not outline any other major problems.
The Dali sat lodged against the remains of the bridge for nearly two months. The 984-foot container ship is currently under repair in Norfolk, Virginia, and is scheduled to sail to China later this month, according to court filings.
Litigation against the ship’s owners and insurance claims over its cargo are ongoing. Last month, The Maryland Transportation Authority took the first step Thursday toward building a replacement by awarding a $73 million design phase contract awarded to Omaha, Nebraska-based Kiewit Corp.
