Baltimore bridge collapse: What's known about the container ship involved

Early Tuesday morning, a container ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing it to snap and plunge into the river below. 

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore told reporters during a mid-morning update that a preliminary investigation pointed to the bridge collapse being an "accident."

Here’s what’s known about the ship that was involved: 

It was headed to Sri Lanka

Baltimores Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed on March 26, 2024, after a support column was struck by a vessel. (Jerry Jackson/The Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

The ship was called the Dali, and was owned and managed by Synergy Marine Group. The ship is owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd.

The Dali was headed from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka, and flying under a Singapore flag, according to data from Marine Traffic.

The container ship is about 985 feet long and about 157 feet wide, according to the website.

WATCH: Francis Scott Key Bridge collapses in Maryland

It was chartered by Maersk

Danish shipping giant Maersk said it had chartered the vessel, which was carrying its customers’ cargo. 

No Maersk crew and personnel were on board. 

The collapse caused Maersk share at the Nasdaq Copenhagen to plummet 2% in early Tuesday trading.

It lost power

Sometime before 1:30 a.m. ET, the ship had a power issue, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore confirmed during a late-morning news conference on Tuesday. 

"We can confirm that the crew notified authorities of a power issue," he said, but didn’t offer any other details. 

RELATED: Aerial videos, photos of Baltimore bridge collapse show magnitude of disaster

Its crew issued a mayday

The operators of the ship issued a mayday call moments before the crash, enabling authorities to limit vehicle traffic on the span, Moore said.

"I’m thankful for the folks who, once the warning came up and once the notification came up, that there was a mayday, who, literally by being able to stop cars from coming over the bridge - these people are heroes. They saved lives last night," he said. 

The ship’s crew size isn’t known but Synergy Marine Group said all crew members were accounted for and no one was hurt. 

RELATED: Ship’s mayday allowed "heroes" to stop traffic before Baltimore bridge collapse

Its pilots were local specialists

Synergy Marine Group said the crash happened while in control of one or more local harbor pilots, who are local specialists who help navigate vessels safely into ports.

It had hit something before

This is not the first time the Dali has struck city infrastructure while transporting goods — a similar but far less serious incident was reported in 2016, FOX Business reported.

Dali collided with a stone wall at a dock in Antwerp, Belgium, in the afternoon of July 11, 2016, according to a Maritime News report.

The container ship suffered damage and was docked for repairs, but no one was injured in the collision, according to The New York Times.

This story was reported from Detroit. The Associated Press and FOX Business contributed.

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