Why the Blackout & is Negligence of the Crew Suspected? | Q&A

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00:00 Intro
01:18 Why did it lose power in first instance?
03:59 When they lost power the first time why didn't they stop?
06:46 That ship had to have been turned to starboard... Losing power that ship would have carried on straight under the bridge
09:00 So how do you explain that the ship was going STRAIGHT during blackout and would have completely missed the pillar, but when power comes back on, it steers towards the pillar precisely?
09:33 I'm getting confused, does power loss mean loss of propulsion or electricity to operate for instance steering, because there was smoke coming from the funnel
10:39 Another question brought up: When did the Dahli start to turn, before or after the power loss?
14:24 Its been two days & still are going with the procedures & have not found out what caused the crash are are not in the verge of it
15:16 How is it that the voice recorder equipment had a backup power source, but the data system doesn't
16:26 Without the NTSB releasing the full audio, this is what they want the public to think, it is astounding that this is all that was said on the the audio, as alarms are going off, engines off, no steerage
17:42 DALI was built before that so may have only had the previous "12 hr record" unless they had installed a new VDR after 2014.
19:04 why did the two tugboats stand down BEFORE the Dali was safely past the bridge? Shouldn't a risk analysis have identified the possibility of a power failure and made this mandatory?
19:52 Why did the engines cut out in a blackout? A diesel engine doesn’t need electrical power to run
20:53 Black smoke proves the engines were running
22:33 I find it odd this gentleman is claiming the engines stopped. A single screw driven vessel such as this would definitely round to starboard in full reverse.......... which is what it did. The black smoke looks to me like the engines going to full astern.
23:58 I would like to know why the power loss happened? and was negligence of the crew suspected?
Well that’s the $64 thousand dollar question

[@1972danhall]

I was a Maersk Captain. This is my assessment of what happened. I don’t have any direct knowledge of the situation but I have a lot of experience in similar situations. They just made the turn, let go of the tugboats. Once they exceeded 6 kts. They shut down the bow thruster. They then shut down their secondary generator. The ship has 3 main generators. One large generator and 2 smaller generators. A 4th generator is called the EDG/emergency diesel generator. If the engineers didn't know what the reefer load was (electrical power required), they could have shut down the wrong generator. Often times it requires 2 generators for the entire passage. US flagged ships keep 2 generators on until they reach open ocean. Foreign ships shut down their second generator as soon as possible. They have a financial incentive. They are evaluated based upon their KPI. Their bonuses are significant compared to their salary. I believe that an engineer shut down the wrong generator and they lost power. Or shut one down 1 when 2 generators were required for the power requirements. Often times the third generator is not functional because it is under maintenance or repairs. That would shut down the main engine. The lights came back on when the EDG automatically started. The black smoke could be from starting a generator, or more likely from trying to start the main engine. The ebb tide (from the side channel) pushed the stern to port, causing the ship turn to starboard. Tainted fuel is not likely. They would have been on their service tank. That fuel would have been loaded into a holding tank and tested by sampling by an independent lab. Once it is certified, it can be transferred to the service tank.

[@shirleymcdonald8441]

How did the Simpsons tv show predict this scenario before it happened??

[@_JustinCider_]

@@shirleymcdonald8441LOL. Both Simpsons and Southpark have exceptionally good ability at predicting the future.

[@vidyadharjoshi5714]

Finance should not be linked and that has caused havoc. The bonuses etc should apply only when the ship is in clear water and not during difficult sections. Critical situations should bypass all financials. The shipping co and operator must pay for the damages and so also the authorities who allowed the situation. Does US fed have money to build ? They even donot have enough to support their staff.

[@Skidderoperator]

Maybe they restarted in reverse and the paddle wheel effect pushed the stern to port even more?

[@tangobayus]

Great to hear from someone who know what he's talking about.

[@georgedreisch2662]

The most astounding thing I see in this incident is people’s, including media, nativity, ignorance, general lack of appreciation of the complexities involved in operating a system like a ship of this scale, and the willingness to make silly assertions and insinuations. Thanks for attempting to provide logic and reason, to this.

[@davidcenteau-depina6192]

You're spot on. I've had so many people ask "why didn't they just stop". I've operated a lot of pleasure craft. Pontoon boats and what I would call ski boats. The thing is boats don't stop or turn on a dime. I'm glad eSysman is giving this explanation. I can't even imagine what it's like to control something as big and heavy as the Dali.

[@kennethmaynard5046]

Abraham Lincoln I think once said " It's better to remain a fool then to speak up and remove all doubt" Many commenters really have no ideal what they are talking about

[@acg9891]

​@@davidcenteau-depina6192to steer Ships of any size is simple. It is normally the lowest rank doing the steering in narrow passages. The captain just gives the course to steer. When the boat needs to dock they use Tugs. You're right though if a ship that s size is making headway it will take quite a while to stop especially with no astern propulsion. Loaded ulcc Tankers can take miles to come to a stop.

[@SPLITSLEEVE]

Yes, and Boeing is a grand example of keeping us all safe in the air. They have a spotless record. We need to thank all their Engineers.

[@alanrae6930]

@@kennethmaynard5046 I prefer "That person isn't the brightest candle on a 1 year old's birthday cake"

[@veronicabell6652]

So many channels using this event to help them go viral. Glad to have your channel and trust you.

[@danchasteen7629]

Remember when the lights went out in Georgia, same thing.

[@aday1637]

It was caused by a black hole formed momentarily right at the same point as the power outage. This caused magnetic flux at such a high rate that the wiring couldn't handle the increased voltage then shut the systems down. The same black hole moved the ship to the right (starboard) and it collided with the bridge which itself was being pulled over by the black hole. Once the extra force from the ship hit the entire bridge collapsed under the load.

[@harcosparky]

I trust no KZbin content generators …. They all seem to have the same mom, Miss Information!

[@F10Colin]

I’ve followed your channel for many years, but this is the best report you have ever done on a major incident. I am a commercially endorsed yacht skipper, can’t believe there is so much BS around what happened. Keep up the good work

[@typxxilps]

that BS is the expertise you can expect to find on any question on the web. Landlubbers aka here called land rats.

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

The amusing part is people who obvously have no boating experience, spewing out their theories and conspiracies. Good grief, people are not too bright. "Why didn't the boat stop?" No clue about simple physics or the ocean. LOL.

[@kennethmaynard5046]

@@OMGWTFLOLSMH I believe nowadays people don't want the truth but would believe conspiracy and or conjecture. Till the NTSB completes their investigation which the commenter said could take up to 2 years I wait till then as the series on causes of airplane crashes answers never come with days of an accident. Right now I am thinking either fuel contamination or an electrical overload, even with all that happen there was no way to avoid the crash. Also the Key bridge was built to the standards of the 70's when large container ships was years away.

[@user-cs7qj8vp4o]

This is bullshit .....they should have had tugs...they turned into it

[@alanrae6930]

@@OMGWTFLOLSMH I'm one of the non nautical followers of the channel and even I face palmed at the "why didnt the boat stop" comment. 100% agree

[@phillm156]

Two whole days without an NTSB report!? Oh my, the CSI show’s audience has spoken!

[@zeerohour8129]

And they have one of the best channels on YT, imho. Eventually, they will release a great timeline and reconstruction piece. The CSI bunch is close, so very close.😉

[@neilkurzman4907]

The NTSB is slow and thorough

[@PromasterHOF]

😂🤣😂🤣🤣

[@jofus3604]

Exactly, Like they will always have the DNA report right after next commercial!

[@saxoncordeaux9290]

No reply means something. But the NTSB can’t and don’t have any expertise with hacking into systems. Everything from what I’ve seen and from insider information within certain delicate areas replicates the same thing. A hack. Inside of intelligence says a hack, everything outside says a hack, so a hack. Americas infrastructure is being targeted. Another ship a few days later hit another pylon of a bridge, hold on tight America and make sure you have the right people in charge because it doesn’t look like there are any eyes on your infrastructure at all. I wanted to move back to the U.S. from Australia, now I’m like hmmmm probably not a good idea.

[@davedavids9619]

I like the flashing 'GAME OVER" sign in the back ground. That is, weirdly enough, very appropriate for this ship.

[@JariJuslin]

I am not sure it's game over for *the ship*. The only documented damage we have is to the bow and superstructure; if it was leaking, we would have heard of it. So most likely the ship itself will be repaired and put back to service. It was game over for the bridge, tho. Don't pick fights with parties ten times heavier than yourself 😉.

[@WilliamLHart]

As you have said - the helm is being constantly adjusted by the helmsman or the autopilot. However when the power goes out the steering pumps stop working and the rudder freezes at the last position until the emergency generator starts. Even if the helm was at a minor 5 degrees to stbd momentarily when the blackout happened it will be a full minute before the power was restored. Without the propulsion engine providing enhanced flow over the rudders the ship will continue on the same course at 6 knots for some time even with the helm hard to port due to the 'sail' effect of the high containers .

[@Roberto-oi7lm]

I too wonder about the last minute turn to stbd. I'm not a large ship captain but I've visited Baltimore via the Key bridge a number of times in a large private vessel and during my days as a Naval Aviator I underwent training to be the Officer Of The Deck Underway on an aircraft carrier; so I'm not completely ignorant of how a vessel behaves when subject to wind and tide forces. To me, the Dali didn't seem to "drift" into the bridge support as it might when subject to the existing wind as much as it made a rather sharp turn. Like most people talking about this incident, I can't say if that might have been a reaction caused by going to full astern power, caused by a rudder input, or perhaps even by the port side anchor being dropped (unlikely). I'm not saying it was deliberate, but it sure seems like a maneuver caused by something other than the wind. Can the fly-by-wire steering go wonky during a power failure and come back to life when power is restored in a rudder-hard-over condition? I have no idea if that's possible, but the video looks as though something like that happened. It just doesn't look like pure wind drift in spite of the incredible top hamper of these kinds of container carriers. Sad to say, the government I once trusted to do the right thing, is now so untrustworthy that I wonder if we will ever know the truth.

[@garybulwinkle82]

I bet they were drunk!!!

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

@@Roberto-oi7lm I've heard that it's the result of an anchor being dropped in an effort to stop the vessel. I'm waiting for more information as it doesn't entirely make sense to me to drop one anchor if you haven't yet gone through the bridge unless you're reasonably certain that you need to in order to avoid a collision. I'm definitely not an expert on controlling ships and definitely not in this port. But, I think that will get addressed because it is a natural question to ask about.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

@@garybulwinkle82 I think that's only allowed on oil tankers.

[@edwinjames6283]

Thank you Mr. Sysman for such a knowledgable description of what occurred. I've been following your channel for several years and I know your expertise on all things nautical. I've also looked at the actual footage of the ships position second by second on the charts and film footage.. Great job my friend!

[@middleagedwhitebloke2460]

Your patience in replying to some of these comments is commendable.

[@timjackson3954]

The ship turning: it's all true and makes sense but some clarity is missing. When the ship is going in straight line and especially when confined to a channel there are all sorts of forces constantly changing, wind, currents, bank effect, changes in depth etc. To keep it on course the rudder is being moved frequently to counter these various forces. The ship actually steers a mild zigzag, rotating left and right as it opposes the changing forces. When steering power is lost, the rudder is frozen in position, and the the ship continues to rotate according to the last rudder input. In this case the ship was just passing a side channel on the right with an outgoing tide which would have pushed it to the left, requiring a small correction to starboard. Having passed the channel but being unable to alter the helm, the ship would continue correcting to starboard even though the side force had ceased. So what it did was what one would expect for a vessel under way but not under command. And no I'm not a ship's crew, I'm an engineer, a physicist and a yachtsman.

[@mercuryshadow09]

Doesn't matter what you are, what you've said makes sense and you obviously know what you're talking about.

[@heartobefelt]

google search for "prop walk in reverse" i hadnt heard of it until yesterday myself

[@Bubba-wx7lp]

@timjack That's very likely.

[@brunomeral7885]

Based on the questions, there a lots of people who haven't been at sea, and if they had, not a "big" vessel for sure. So, them asking questions is good and you taking time to answer them calmly and seriously is even more interesting. Thanks.

[@mercuryshadow09]

An alleged 20 year Navy Vet tried to tell me the anchor should have stopped the ship. I'm a Navy Vet myself and all I could do was 🤦‍♂️

[@keithralfs5190]

The emergency alternator is 1200kw, somewhat larger than a truck engine

[@johnpublic6582]

I once had a friend who had a ski boat inland, therefore I know everything about ULCC.

[@kimmer6]

I have had several single screw inboard boats all of my life. A boat with a stern drive handles easily. Single prop inboards handle very poorly and need some getting used to. I could walk my twin engine Tollycraft into the slip with the throttles and shift levers without touching the helm and never even touch the fenders. Easy money... During my first time at the helm of a Chevron tanker in the early 1980's, I was appalled at how badly the ship followed helm inputs. The Chief Mate told me to hold the current course 40 miles off the Oregon coast. I watched him make a series of constant small inputs that seemed to have a pattern. Within seconds of my turn at the helm, I watched the bow drift to port. After several Starboard helm inputs there was no affect in arresting the drift to Port. I had the helm at zero when the bow started drifting to Starboard. I put plenty of helm in to go left and returned the rudder to zero before the bow finally moved to port and overshot by an embarrassing amount. No way could I keep the bow headed straight. I had been trying to keep a distant cloud lined up with the center of the bow without looking at the compass . I came away thinking that I could stand on the end of an 8 foot long 2x4 on an ice rink and flail my arms and have more control. The Chief Mate laughed at me and said that in time, I would get to know steering input patterns, the delay from helm input to bow steering movement and all would be fine and dandy for me on a windless day. I developed great respect for those who steer the ship. Conclusion...a large vessel will go any way it wants with loss of power in wind and current.

[@Woffy.]

Alleged ? A Jack would not make such an asinine statement. You could not build an anchor and length of chain big enough to stop that ship at 8 knots but you live in hope that the one you have may help. . @@mercuryshadow09

[@user-rp9pj6su8v]

Having been a person who worked in Engineering on numerous Naval vessels (ships), I know that the newer vessels the diesels are all controlled be electronics and this is why ships are using less and less people in engineering. When we left port, we went to "Sea and Anchor" which is where all of the people who are in engineering are at designated stations in case of an emergency. Clearly with a commercial vessel there are less people in the engineering spaces, this would explain why someone would not be in the machinery space where the emergency steering controls are located. Newer vessels probably do not have "Sound Powered" communication equipment as a Naval ship would so that the Naval ship can continue to function during emergencies. Ot her issues that people asked about was the black smoke. As you answered, black smoke is usual associated with diesels or other combustion systems starting up. Most diesel-powered vessels that I have been on were "diesel electric" meaning that the diesels were not directly connected to the shafts. I do realize there are still many directly connected vessels in the water. I am wondering if people know that a direct powered vessel has an engine that has to be manually stopped, then the cam can be shifted, and restarted in order to reverse the screw. This is time consuming and will also cause the "black plume of smoke" that so many people have mentioned. I hope that this might clear up some confusion of some of the issues that you talked about. As I did state, I worked in engineering for 16 years on various vessels so I have a little knowledge of this and what could have possibly gone wrong in the engineering spaces. Some of this may be a little outdated and I will apologize for that possibility. The one thing I b\found strange is that people do not understand that with that much cargo (containers) the superstructure and cargo would act like a giant sail and move the vessel whatever way the wind forced it to by blowing on that large area.

[@brucelytle1144]

I understand what you are saying, I spent 8 years in the Navy, mostly repair and diagnosis work, as an MM1. I got out and sailed merchant vessels for many years, until the late 90's. My first merchant ship was a 94k ton tanker, with a crew of 21. An engineer and a unlicensed engineer (QMED) on watch in the engineroom, a Mate and an Seaman (AB or an Ordinary) on the bridge. That's it. For maneuvering you would have the normal watchstanders plus the Chief Engineer in the engineroom and the Captain on the bridge. There was also extra deck people for line handling, and the bosun, standing by the anchor windlass. Steam Ships always run a watch 24/7, Motor vessels just have a licensed engineer in the console during the day. At night, they had a suitcase they took to their room to monitor, make rounds of the engineroom once or twice a watch. No one for stuff like steering gear. You just make sure it is working! One time, leaving LA headed for Honolulu, I had finished helping the reefer get all the vans plugged in and running, just as we cleared the mouth of the harbor. I went down to the engineroom and took my "perch" behind the Chief Engineer as he was handling the plant during maneuvering. Where I set, I could watch everything going on, listening to the radio (that's how we communicated on the ship, or the telephone). We had a couple of cadets from CMA aboard, one came over and asked me if I was the Chief Electrician, I told him yes, and he asked why I was there. I explained that everything running was running off electricity and that if something went wrong, they didn't want to hunt me down, they wanted me "handy". He was happy with that explanation, went and set down. The the bridge called down, as we had just dropped off the pilot and was calling for sea speed. Chief Engineer responds, starts cranking her up, hits high speed on the forced draft fans.... and the Main switchboard blew up! Long story short, the Cadet learned why the Electrician was in the engineroom for maneuvering, the Captain called me on the radio for advice, he let me know the tugs were just a couple of miles away, he recalled them and we got towed back, without knocking down the Terminal Island bridge😊!! A merchant ship has to have a well trained and flexible crew, they change constantly, so you need to learn how to all work together, without drilling, ya just gotta know

[@1972danhall]

I appreciate your service. None of that applies to a container ship.

[@user-rp9pj6su8v]

@@1972danhall I realize that a military hip has massive amounts of personnel compared to a container ship. I was trying to make the point that the few crew members that are engineering trained on a container ship would probably only be about three or maybe four at the maximum. This makes it even more imperative that at least one of them be in the engine room during the time the ship is either entering or leaving the port. If the Chief Engineer is on the bridge (as some reports put it) that means there is maybe one person in the engine room. With the ship being controlled by only electronics like fly by wire controls there is little to no chance to properly address a power casualty as is being described in the majority of the reports. That means that this was a disaster waiting to happen. This was the main reason I was pointing this out. I am sorry if I gave you the wrong impression or that you took this as an offense or personal.

[@demizer1968]

People need to understand that the ship would probably bring down any bridge it hits at 9Kts. The amount of kinetic energy imparted was huge.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

No, it wouldn't, it's the result of incompetent engineering. A large block of appropriately shaped concrete would have prevented the ship from taking out the bridge. Judging from the pictures, this bridge had absolutely no protection at all. It had some protection at waterline, and none further up as the protection only appear to be a few feet from the support pillar. Even the transmission lines running parallel to the bridge had more protection.

[@demizer1968]

Your talking about a ship that weighd as much as a fully loaded aircraft carrier hitting a bridge that was built almost 50 years ago. The bridge was designed to be "artistic" looking. It was a well made cantilever bridge, but it's not gonna stay up if half it's support is gone.

[@ReneArtoisMr]

This is the second meaningful video about what (could) have happened. Few people seem to understand how complex a ship is and how specific these technologies are. Good video! I stay tuned

[@buckystarfinger2487]

The MSM should hire you. Your honest, factual and informative. You always get it right unless you rely on other reporters but you fix it as soon as possible. Thanks. Good job.

[@guenthermichaels5303]

How would you know if he gets it right? Do you have the experience to judge? All you know is that it sounds right to you.

[@basstrammel1322]

@@guenthermichaels5303Based on the years of coverage of all kind of aspects of the industry he's done, obviously.

[@Bt26x]

The lying, state propaganda pushing legacy media is the last place a credible journalist w/ integrity should go lol. He’s much better off being independent. It would be cool if he could land a deal w/ Elon for a show on X. Their monetization for creators is some of the best. I’m monetized there & make a lot more than what I make on IG & my IG account has a way bigger following than my X account.

[@guenthermichaels5303]

So if you drove a taxi, you are an expert on Transport trucks?

[@johnqdoe]

MSM does not hire truth-tellers, kiddo.

[@geoffreyhume-cook2498]

Well done! Addressing each cluster of questions & clearly giving the best _available_ answers! 🎉

[@landbandtunes]

Thanks for your patience, and the information.

[@yvonnetomenga5726]

@eSysmanSuperYachts • You have a lot more patience than I do. How anyone could think we would know the cause in only 2 days is beyond me. As a teenage girl, even I knew investigations and problem solving would take longer than that. I don't know if such assumptions are too many hours playing video games or overall poor parenting, but I despair of progress in this world when people can so confidently expect such quick answers that just don't align with real world techniques.

[@johnpublic6582]

But I want an Oompa Loompa NOW! Where is the bad egg detector when we need it?

[@Skidderoperator]

NTSB can take 2 years to release their findings.

[@yvonnetomenga5726]

@@Skidderoperator • Two years is what the NTSB announced, yes. eSysman's questioner apparently doesn't get his information from the source.

[@butchs.4239]

It's the CSI effect. People expect instant answers and NTSB doesn't work that way.

[@carlazinnrigger491]

well Biden immediately said it wasn'[t terrorism! how would he know?

[@bandck8752]

Thanks Esys, appreciate that you take the time to answer questions and provide an overview of the situation and info, I have been watching for a year now, and almost constantly since last week. Great video(s) recently and in past.

[@bigfiretogetherforever5047]

Wow...I am learning a lot of info about ships and systems and absolutely loving it.

[@denisturcott5131]

It is amazing how fast people become experts that have never been a captain of any size vessel. The complexity of any modern vessel is absolutely mind blowing. With the loss an engine it could be as simple as picking up junk from the bottom of the harbour and clogging the sea intake and strainers. I am sure that the bottom of most harbours are littered with garbage. With the wind blowing on the port side there has to be calculations fro estimated position to counter steer into the wind. When the power was lost none of that takes place. I have seen vessels lose power in channels and thankfully had others hold them off a dangerous object. I am so glad that there are a few sites like yours and "what's going on in shipping" that use data and not hearsay like the press and others. Thank you

[@Jerzeyguy]

I seen on another channel

[@Gurkon]

Clogging your Sw intake, given you clog high and low chest at the same time will not blackout the hip right away, you will go into slowdown first.

[@jamescrosby5893]

Some of us have our own boats. They might not be ocean liners or that big but common sense.

[@catman1050]

I received a call from the E/R about 0030 one morning. We were anchored on a small shallow spot off Newfoundland. They said they had some coolant issues and may lose power. I put on searchlight to see if there was anything in water like a field of seaweed that could be causing our problem. What I saw shocked me! The water was reddish pink. We were completely surrounded with shrimp. We were able to get one engine running and get anchor up, proceeding slowly away from area. We got to an open area, and stopped and drifted. It took us a day and a half to get the shrimp out of the sytem, lol.

[@Gurkon]

@@catman1050 aye. The good smell of dead squid in the seachest. 🤮

[@robertmorin1454]

Thank you for being so detailed in your explanations ! Have loved your channel for a long time but others are now learning from your knowledge ! 👍🇨🇦

[@skyhigh6]

In the mid 1960s I was serving in the US Navy. We were tied up in port when a British Destroyer approached the pier. I was making up lines when I heard the ship's horn blowing. The Destroyer was making a bee line dead center of the pier. The ship hit the long wooden Pier shattering about one third of the facility. No one was hurt but the damage was substantial. Even though the screws were in full reverse the inertia carried the ship forward. Inertia, remember that.

[@TerryKeever]

Thanks for the update. Hope you will keep watch on the investigation and keep us informed.

[@gadgetfellow]

brilliant level headed assessment on the available data at your disposal, love your channel, thank you for all your hard work

[@emsamish]

What about the port worker that says it was experiencing several days of power outages before leaving? Does stuff like that have to be inspected ? or do they just leave because they're on the schedule?

[@telebubba5527]

Everything needs to be checked, so they will inspect that and see if it gives some clue.

[@BaldJohnnyRhythm]

Sal Marcagliano advanced a theory (that will be part of the investigation) that the power failures at the dock could have been due to circuits powering refrigerated containers being overloaded and that the crew would have redistributed the load to other circuits to address the casualty. They might have thought they solved it.

[@stargazer7644]

Aren't ships at the dock usually on shore power?

[@BaldJohnnyRhythm]

@@stargazer7644 my house is on pole power. I can still overload circuits and trip a breaker

[@uavertical9076]

@@stargazer7644 not usually no. California used to require it (might still do) but its def not normal to be on shore power. They will be running 1 or more generators whilst alongside

[@barrywilkinson3420]

I was a watch standing helmsman on a Navy destroyer many years ago. We always had a watch in "after steering" when underway. A destroyer has two screws and a single rudder. This ship has a single screw and a single rudder. To get a ship of this size, going this slow to answer the rudder is very hard. It is not a maneuverable object, it is meant to go in a straight line. The harbor will push it in all sorts of ways. Plus a ship, without power, is a very dark place to walk around in.

[@brucelytle1144]

If all you've had is Navy experience, you don't know how dark a merchant ship is, they don't have "battle" lanterns. If you are smart on a merchant ship, you'll never go anywhere without a flashlight (torch, for you limey's out there😊).

[@dougcargill6730]

You are a voice of sanity amongst the craziness out there. Thank you for your patience, clear headedness, and updates.

[@lovelightcontinuum]

I found it informative and interesting, despite the fact that I feel a large part of the questions were answered in your previous videos. I appreciate your through research and refusal to speculate, at least without qualifying something as "a possibility," and clarifying that we can't KNOW yet. As a sort of aside. My late husband was an airplane pilot. He had a crash one year which was fairly straightforward and had few variables as to what could have been the proximate cause. It took the FAA and the NTSB two YEARS, (not two days hahaha) to analyze the parts recovered from the plane as well as the transponder information and whatever else, and synthesize it into a report and final determination. That's actually considered fairly good time for an accident in which there was no loss of life, fairly easy access to the wreckage, and no huge questions about liability nor insurance. I actually said out loud "two whole days, yeah right" after you read that. You have a lot of patience. Happy Easter or whatever you may make note of or celebrate.

[@rags1182]

Hi i am a retired Chief Engineer. During a recent class I was taking on Dual fuel Electronic Engines for a batch of Engineer's, of course the hot topic of discussion was the Dali accident. Some interesting theories were exchanged... Given to understand that the ship has 4 Aux Diesel Engines besides ( Turbo Generator not sure ) and the Emergency Generator. Outcome of discussion :- 1) Were the ship's Engineer's changing over fuel illegally to HFO after departure port, even though they were still in ECA zone. (Was the Alternate cheaper fuel tainted or had water ), because there was no problem for the 1st hour of running. 2) If the D/Gs were getting overloaded, what happened to the standby Generator ( remember they had 4 big diesel generators, besides the emergency gene). 3) Didn't they try to do load shedding by shutting down reefer containers, until they cleared the restricted channel, assuming bow thrusters were not in use, since they are ineffective above 3 knots and the ship was doing 8 knots. 4) I have been to Baltimore many times and once you are into Chesapeake bay, you have a bit more room to spare, having said that the story of Everforward lurks in the background.... 5)If they were having excess steam pressure and were unable to dump the steam, they could be trying to hook the Turbo generator(provided they had one) onto the bus bar and possibly made a mess. 6)Also another point to note at 8 knots forward speed trying to kick the Main Engine Astern requires Braking Air continuously and would not be possible in the short time of 1min between the two blackouts......hence the thick black smoke of unburnt fuel. Emergency gene kicking in won't give that much smoke it's a tiny little Engine. Which leaves the only option available of steering gear.... No1 steering motor is usually hooked to MSB, while No.2 steering motor is supplied via the ESB (powered by Emergency gene) and in turn routes via MSB..... therefore at least one of them (Switch boards) should have been operational....so what happened, at 8 knots vsl speed if helm inputs were given, which the pilots said they did.(Since at least 1 steering motor is running from whichever switch board).8 knots being sufficient for steering, the class agreed that it was enough to get a slight change in angle...but from the video the ship veers to the right, instead of left. Can we have some educated guesses. Hope this clarifies certain technical details, would be happy to assist on further technical queries.

[@FransBlaas1]

What powered the bow thruster?…. Why would there be a turbogenerator, old steam ship?

[@rags1182]

Bow thrusters are powered from the Main diesel Generators. Turbo Generator is a modern equipment to utilise the waste heat recovery system converted to steam in the Exhaust gas boiler.

[@brucelytle1144]

Rags... I've been through a few power outages in my day. Jeez, I could write a book on it! Mainly, what NOT to do! I've had dumb ass engineers just close main steam stops on me, without asking or anything! I've walked down in an engineroom, with the 3rd closing the turbo steam stop (apparently for other reasons),.I ran to the panel to trip the generator, and the trip didn't work, main field rectifiers burned up, no spares (we were taking the ship to the scrapyard!). Been there do e that, can tell you all kinds of ways things go south. Have had forced draft fan breakers (300 amp) fail, blow up, grounding the entire main switchboard. Fun times! The only time I hit a bridge was on a 12 ton fishing boat going under the Mare Island Bridge on the Napa River. Didn't bother the bridge, but took an 18 inch gash in the bow of the boat!😮 Fortunately it was an old WW2 landing craft (not a Higgins boat) that had a 24"x48" solid bow on it. Lot of wood filler later. ... I've also wondered about if they were shifting fuels, there are just so many things going on during that type of evolution! Keep in mind, it is almost never that one thing causes this type of accident, they "almost" always take 3 mistakes for these things to occur.

[@richardc020]

Thank you eSysMan for adding your experience to help us better understand all the complexities of the mariner's/sailor's workload.

[@skiingfast1]

Q&A video are excellent.

[@budgetaudiophilelife-long5461]

THANKS FOR THE UPDATE 👍😊

[@mikemaccracken3112]

I have been on a ship when this happened. We had a ship service generator failure trip out on overspeed protection due to a fuel system failure. The two remaining generators tripped out on overload protection due to all the load was now on two of the three generators. When maneuvering a ship from port you want all systems and auxiliary systems on in case of a failure. These large marine engines start on compressed air and many of the valves are air actuated so they can be controlled from the Engineers Operating Station. When you lose the generators it is game over until emergency generator comes back on. Starting the main engine isn’t like starting a car. You have to have all the engine fuel and oil systems up and each cylinder has to have the air cock open so the engine spin over etc. Some of these task have to be performed at heights of three stories in high heat and darkness. This incident happened so fast that they never could have got that ship going in time. I agree that you will never see a large ship ever go under the new bridge unaccompanied by support tugs.

[@uavertical9076]

why would you need to open the indicator cocks in an emergency situation like this? From my understanding the indicator cocks are opened when turning the engine over before departure from a port (or perhaps after maintenance) to check that there are no water leaks (perhaps from the jackets) into the cylinders.

[@mikemaccracken3112]

@@uavertical9076 It was part of the automated starting process on one ship I was on. If it didn’t have the correct air pressure at the actuator it would not let the engine start the cranking process. You could override it but then it would require a few extra steps. I saw this system fail in person and thankfully we still had McAllister. This specific ship had experimental medium speed diesel engines and it was like going on sea trails every time we left port.

[@icarusq]

Great to hear from someone who knows what they are talking about. Thanks. Love your channel.

[@rhodaborrocks1654]

I worked on a ship once that was quite a new build and still had some teething problems, one of those being it's propensity to completely shut down without warning, both engines and all generators, it happened once in the middle of the night in the English Channel, not a great place to be drifting. I sailed again on the same ship a couple of years later and it was fixed by that time. The story I heard was that it was an electrical short that took out a single fuse, the ship had two engines which when properly synchronized ran very smooth, hardly any vibration, but sea conditions could cause them to become unsynchronized and noticeable vibration, and it was this vibration that was causing the electrical short. This was interesting because I'd had a similar problem in the radio room, the PA system would suddenly go dead, fuse blown in the amplifier, pop a new one in and it would be fine, and this was caused by the lid of the amplifier rattling when these vibrations occurred causing it to touch terminals on top of the power supply, a bit of metal bending and a couple of layers of insulating tape permanently took care of that,

[@RJDA.Dakota]

You are unbiased, and more believable than most or all of my media outlets here have been. Thank you once again for doing such a great job and service.

[@borismedved835]

I believe that the crew told the company about power failures at the dock and they were told to sail without fixing it and do it at sea. That's if those reports of power failure earlier were true.

[@HighlanDre4573]

This will directly put the technical ashore liable and save the crew of negligence if proven true...

[@HighlanDre4573]

But then, still in the final discretion of the Master and Chief Engineer to sail or not...

[@heartobefelt]

many years ago i was told the cost for a ship tied up in dock is $ 100,000 per day

[@user-xq1wz3tp5z]

Rocky/Bullwinkle not so trusting of Boris ... but thanks for comment!

[@WilliamLHart]

Ships steer like very large shopping trolleys. The stern moves to change course (that's where the rudder / propeller is) - not the bow. If the blackout occurred when the helm was to stbd (during minor course adjustment) the steering gear freezes without power. The stern moves to port (due to the shopping trolley effect). If the stbd anchor is dropped as the stern moves to port during this time it will drag beneath the keel further exacerbating the turn to stbd.

[@seekerstan]

Cause of turn to Starboard: At the time of power loss, the stern of the ship would have been exposed to the outgoing tide flowing out of the Curtis Bay channel. It wouldn't take much current influencing only the stern to shift the course a few degrees. Also, the rudder is being moved back and forth to keep the ship on track it might have been slightly to Starboard at time of power loss. Also, the propeller moving forward would have a tendency to swing the ship to port that would countered by the rudder slightly to starboard, when the engine quit this would result in a starboard turn.

[@rogerprout5574]

Oh dear, oh dear, I thought you were knowledgable. The wind was a north east at 7kts that night, not south west. You can clearly see that from the black smoke. The black smoke began when the throttle was powered up in reverse. The ship would have continued on it's course through the middle of the bridge if reverse was not engaged. Maybe veer slightly to starboard because the wind was north east at 7kts but I think it would have gone through. You can tell reverse was engaged because the ship was slowing appreciably. It was absolutely conclusive that prop walk in reverse turned the ship to starboard.

[@johngibson3837]

A wind from the north east would be travelling to the south west

[@rogerprout5574]

@@johngibson3837 he said a south west wind. Listen to it

[@johngibson3837]

@@rogerprout5574 maybe you should look a the chart that was shown mate, a wind from the north east travels south west

[@stargazer7644]

I'm not sure what you think you heard, but what I heard matched the chart he was showing and matched which way the ship was moving.

[@uavertical9076]

@@johngibson3837 that is correct however, the correct way to refer to the wind is the direction from which it is COMING from, not the direction it is blowing to..

[@wolfgangredeker6608]

The Engineering guys on-board will know full well what happened....their monitoring system will tell them when/what was the first alarm and which component. The monitoring system will be able to graph various parameters. Strange no one revealing the root cause?

[@sphilips5235]

Right. NTSB could easily give the root cause of the accident from the ER printouts & then explain the sequence of orders from the bridge.

[@prashanthyaramati5008]

Engineers will know the root cause. This ship faced power supply problems even in port, yeah there is something seriously wrong in engine room but they will not talk because they will face consequences and jail time.

[@prashanthyaramati5008]

Engineers will know the root cause. This ship faced power supply problems even in port, yeah there is something seriously wrong in engine room but they will not talk because they will face consequences and jail time.

[@CC-ke5np]

All Diesel engines need electrical power to run. If you turn off the power using the key in your car, the fuel valve closes and/or the injection shuts down. Until the 1980s, there were some machinery which had a manual lever to cut the fuel in order to stop the engine. On a large Diesel engine, black smoke means that the engine isn't running. During the starting process, the fuel can't fully burn and this is what produces the black smoke. The smoke is basically fuel energy the engine had failed to use. The moment an diesel engine is really running, it stops emitting black smoke. Also if you want to compare a ship to your diesel truck, just pull the fuse of the transmission. While the engine may keep running, the truck will be unable to engage any gear so you can't drive it. They had stopped making fully hydraulic controlled transmissions many decades ago.

[@billfunk1219]

Great update* You give more accurate info than the local news people do. Plus no drama, just the facts. Thank you!

[@PriscillaYana]

Unfortunately, all the holes lined up in the Swiss Cheese.

[@user-xq1wz3tp5z]

Narrative of Most accidental incidences....

[@robertp9025]

I know quite alot about diesel engines, and these engines are not your old school mechanical injector types. The thing about these engines today is that a computer controls all the sensors and injectors. If there is a lack of voltage to the computer; and these computers are quite sensitive to the voltage the receive they do some weird things and ultimately shutdown. Plugged fuel filters cause engine failures, they can run on a somewhat plugged filter but have no power. If water becomes present in the fuel system the computers shut the engine down immediately, this is to prevent water getting into the injectors, not all engines have this function and i'm not sure this one does, but there are filters to prevent that. These are just some things to consider.

[@Skidderoperator]

There is a rumor they lost power several times while being loaded with containers.

[@walterbandstra1931]

TimBatSea, who is a tug captain, stated that the top speed of Harbor tug is around 11 knots. This ship was moving at 8 knots. It would take about 80 % of the Tug power just to keep up, with very little horses left to push the shipside ways. They need to build large buffers around the Bridge pillars.

[@janetkennedy5940]

You can explain very complex shipping systems to people like me and make it interesting and informative. I've learned so much from your vlogs.

[@yhtmstr]

There are actually 3 things to consider. 1, why did the vessel fail, and 2, what outside factors should have or could have been in place to mitigate the incident , and lastly 3, what procedures need to be implemented to prevent this from happening again and how can those procedures be implemented at any bridge.

[@dougle03]

No.2 is more important for me. Ships lose power, its a fact. Why did those bridge piers not have sufficient impact protection? Was there cost saving by the port authorities? I certainly hope there is not a feasibility study report on pier protection that was dropped because of cost issues...!

[@olasek7972]

@@dougle03not many such bridges in the world have protection against 100 thousand ton ship hitting it with this momentum. Very expensive, I heard like $160 mln per pier. You have to balance against probability of such event whether it makes sense.

[@mercuryshadow09]

Tugging them all the way out of the channel would be a good start and probably will be implemented.

[@olasek7972]

@@mercuryshadow09 tugs are very expensive, there was interesting discussion on the topic, if Baltimore port would require such long assistance from tugs that would increase cost to the shipping companies, they might balk and take business somewhere else, also there is little evidence small tugs would be effective against such massive ship moving at 5+ kts

[@Betterprepared]

When you reverse or change the pitch of the propeller, the stern will start to turn according to the direction the propeller is rotating. Maybe that's why they hit the bridge because they're trying to stop.

[@KiltedMariner]

Except this ship does not have the capability to change the pitch of the propellers.

[@Betterprepared]

@@KiltedMariner reverse or change the pitch

[@KiltedMariner]

@@Betterprepared Doh ... I need to read better. My bad. With all the BS out there it's too easy to reply too quickly.

[@stargazer7644]

If you look at the AIS data the ship decelerates rapidly from 8.5 kn at 01:26:09 to 6.7 kn at 01:28:07 and this is the same period the heavy smoke is visible (correcting for the 28 seconds the camera time is wrong). This is also the period when the course goes from 141 (which they held going down the channel) to 156. Then they drift until they hit the bridge at 01:29:33, during which the heading only changes from 156 to 158 and the speed only changes from 6.7 kn to 6.5 kn. So the rapid deceleration and the course change that put them into the bridge all happened during the period the heavy smoke was coming from the stack. This supports the theory that prop walk during full reverse put them into the bridge. When they stopped reversing, the turn to starboard also stopped.

[@TheHumanMass]

wonderful as always , thank you for your work

[@homerhorisgumboot5503]

Retired Diesel Mechanic comments on engine exhaust smoke. When running normally there is almost no visible smoke, more a heat plume, White smoke when the engine is running is a sign of over fuelling and the dreaded BLACK SMOKE is a sign of incomplete combustion and is generally observed when the engine is being cranked over, Not Running. Incomplete combustion means the engine is not running properly if at all and will change to the first state I mentioned, running normally, once the engines do start. One of the backup generators certainly kicked in, as per the lighting return, but at no stage did I see any indication the engine had restarted.

[@stargazer7644]

So what was the heavy black smoke pouring out of the stack right after power was recovered?

[@gregbluefinstudios4658]

@@stargazer7644 IT WAS MOST LIKELY from the mains engine being restarted. The big air ram dump thru the massive cylinders is used to clear the unburned fuel. Thats what homer, the diesel mechanic is mentioning.

[@uavertical9076]

@@stargazer7644 restarting of the generators - not main engine.. there is a sequence of events. Generators have to start 1st in order to provide necessary power to all the auxiliary equipment before there is any chance of starting the main engine.

[@homerhorisgumboot5503]

@@stargazer7644 It would appear electrical power was restored but it also appears from the smoke from the stack the main engines were not running.

[@stargazer7644]

I was finally able to get the point by point AIS data for course and speed. The black smoke corresponded with rapid deceleration, and also with the course change. Both started with the smoke, and ended with the smoke. That smoke was them putting in full astern. Prop walk forced the heading change. After the smoke stopped they barely slowed and barely changed course until they hit the bridge.

[@corchem]

Sorry I completely disagree with your assessment with respect to the ship's movement when the power was out. In the full 7:00 minute video the ship's power is out for 59 seconds and the ship for the most part maintains course. Yes it might be drifting a little. Once the power is restored the ship makes a dramatic turn to the right (starboard) ships that weigh over 100,000 tons don't turn that dramatically without a force acting upon them. If you are suggesting the current and wind were that force, then you are asking me to believe that just as the power went on, the current and wind force changed dramatically causing the ship to change direction dramatically. The crew must have initiated a change to make that happen. Physics is physics, 100,000 tons obey those laws very predictably...

[@mikefochtman7164]

The dramatic turn appears about the same moment the large plume of smoke happens. This is why some suggest they restarted the main propulsion engine in reverse in an attempt to stop. A right-hand propeller in reverse will 'crab walk' the stern to port, making the overall ship turn to starboard. This may be the 'change' that caused the dramatic turn.

[@corchem]

@@mikefochtman7164 That may be true, but you are making my point. THEIR actions caused the ship to turn. They should know what would happen as you described it. It would be impossible to stop it in time, so why turn on the engines if it will cause the said change in course as you described?

[@stillnessbetween5103]

Great info! There will always be conjectures before the investigations are finished and you are putting what you know out there along with possibilities. Good work.

[@Jon_Flys_RC]

Thank you for finally touching the subject of everyone thinking this is a “diesel engine” like you would find in a tractor. About the only thing they have in common is they operate on the diesel cycle. Being a 2 stroke, piston ported, trunk piston cross head engine that runs on HFO with all the ancillary equipment running on electricity could not make them farther removed from a mechanically injected diesel that runs once started until it runs out of fuel or mechanically breaks. This might be a point you want to research. These engines are designed to run on HFO (heavy fuel oil) although lower sulphur fuels have been introduced like VLSFO but this stuff is a solid at room temperature and must be heated to be handled. I won’t speak out to the rest of the world but the EPA in the United States have mandated a ship switch fuel 24 hours before arrival to a cleaner burning fuel with is MGO (marine gas oil) and there are a lot of reliability problems that come with this changeover. While it is not uncommon it is also not unheard of for a ship to have an issue while switching fuels and be adrift while the plant is recovered. Because the fuel must be continuously heated, these engines must be kept warm even while shut down to prevent the solidification of fuel in the injection system. To do a full cold shutdown the engines must be run in #2 oil for a specified amount of time to clean everything out but that is still not guaranteed and cooled fuel can cause stuck plungers, racks, plugged nozzles etc in the fuel system which makes it a nightmare to get that engine restarted. Take a look at the video from the south side of the bridge again, between the first and second power outage there is a lighter plume of exhaust that can be seen if you specifically look for it. This is consistent with a SSDG starting (ships service diesel generator) starting. My professional speculation is that the generator was either unable to resume the load or there was an issue trying to parallel the SSDG with the emergency generator, or it got running but never took back the load. Either way, the emergency generator is going to be located in a space 2 decks above the main deck per SOLAS and will be air cooled and exhaust directly out of the space through an exhaust pipe through the super structure. Any exhaust from the main stack should not be associated with the emergency generator.

[@ianm452]

I think you'll find that most modern compression ignition ("Diesel") engines operate on the dual combustion cycle, not the Diesel cycle. They did when I was at sea. Also, trunk pistons are those with a long skirt to guide the piston within its cylinder, and which have the conrod connected via a gudgeon pin inside the piston. Crosshead engines have a short piston with a piston rod rigidly attached to it, that needs a crosshead running in a crosshead guide to guide the piston within its cylinder. Each of their pistons is therefore separated from the conrod by a piston rod and crosshead. Trunk pistons don't have a piston rod or crosshead.

[@Jon_Flys_RC]

@@ianm452 I never sailed slow speed, it was all book theory at school. We had a steam training ship then I’ve been around locomotive based engines ever since. The point I was trying to make is this isn’t grandpa’s tractor that will run for eternity until it breaks or runs out of fuel. These slow speed engines have so much electrically driven support equipment you can’t even bring to think of them as having that “run forever” diesel reliability.

[@randyrandolph9709]

You need to get back to the super yacht stuff not this stuff.

[@549BR]

Until the NTSB report comes out, it is all guessing.

[@Ballentyne817]

Why he is one of the only people giving facts and not talking conspiracy bs like the others.

[@waynemayo1661]

Do you have any specific cites of inaccurate/incomplete information he has shared? I would suggest that he knows more than almost all commenters about the whys and wherefores of the incident.

[@robertdusziii4125]

@@Ballentyne817 There's a few other ships engineers talking about it. I've watched a few and they are pretty interesting. I don't believe any have suggested conspiracy theories.

[@Ballentyne817]

no but unfortuantly redacted has gone down that route and massively suggesting it was a cyber attack @@robertdusziii4125

[@ruthwinkle9166]

Thank you for the information. This is a very interesting post! Loved the pictures of a ship, the maps of the ship's movement prior to the accident, clear explanation of various equipment on board and how it worked. Learned a lot today, and subscribed to keep up with the story of the accident. ps: wind map was a plus, as well! Good work!

[@gregsutton2400]

Thanks for the info, knew you would enlighten.

[@victoriaburkhardt9974]

Thanks for these explanations and for your other interesting videos. I’ve learned so much from you about how big ships works.

[@jeremymills8257]

Nice to hear someone with experience and knowledge analysing the sequence of events. Well done. Keep up the good work.

[@reneharkamp4309]

Amsterdam, Once a dead duck in the water. These giant highly stacked container vessels become a sailing boat We seen the same happening in the Suez canal

[@scottkaercher1733]

The current and undertow of the water caused the ship to hit the pillars. It takes 1 minute for the backup generators to start up and then its gotta kick all the hydraulic pumps in so they can steer or it takes the motors for the steering a couple seconds to start up so the captain can steer.

[@schecter6l6]

In almost all large cargo ships the main steering gear is (hydrophilic) is hooked up to the emergency generator buss when the main generators fail. The reason for all of the main generators going out at the same time is most likely due to fuel starvation. This might have occurred when trying to switch over to a heavier fuel used mainly out in open ocean. It's dirtier but is also cheaper to use.

[@wtpauley]

I love this video. Super informative.

[@cherylgarretson3441]

The 'two whole days' comment is comedy gold 😂. Geez

[@jeromehomiak4138]

When you mention the possible causes for the ship turning, you briefly glanced over currents adding to the turn. At the time of the ship leaving he had an out going tide to his stern. By the time he approached the bridge and loss of power, he had 2 currents to deal with. One at his stern and one coming at his port bow. So I would think the current may have played a greater roll combined with the wind.

[@henryostman5740]

The public and I bet a lot of politicians don't understand that unlike your car, on a ship power is the electrical system while propulsion is the main engine, and the systems are separate. On ship like this one usually the main is directly connected to the propellor, i.e. there is no 'gear shift', and the engine is running forward or backing or stopped. Changing direction involves stopping the engine and restarting in the opposite direction usually done with compressed air (pols know about this). The main engine has a speed range, example top speed might be 90 rpm while slowest speed might be 40 rpm, this will establish a slow speed below which the ship can't maintain unless the engine is stopped, when that happens, water flow over the rudder is reduced and the rudder is less effective or even not effective at all. Another factor folks don't understand is 'sail effect', this ship is 1000' long and 100' tall above the water, even a slow wind will push it around depending on which way the ship is pointed relative to the wind.

[@stewartcarberry2483]

Objective, impartial with validation and reasoning. I feel your reporting is always terrific but in this case probably this single best source of ‘real’ information available. THANK YOU! In a time full of unqualified opinion, biased news it refreshing to have Superyacht News!

[@jillys3689]

Thank you. You have a very pleasant voice and good delivery. I enjoyed you informative video very much.

[@jwaustinmunguy]

Many forces act on the ship: when power fails, where is the rudder? Wind from one side. Movement of the tide and cutrent from three different rivers. The channel is very shallow and there may be suction effects from sides of the channel. The ship doesn't stop instantly. 100,000 tons @8.5 knots is a lot of inertia.

[@rp1645]

Excellent Updates for us watchers 😊😊 Thank you for your Brilliant work, and deep dive, to be patient to try to answer questions by viewers 😊❤😊 there is so much misinformation going out. You and SAL are doing great work explaining everything thats happening as this unfolded. 😊❤

[@joehiden7475]

They may want to rethink their backup systems based on this incident. Running 2 football lengths to get to where you can execute emergency operations is not a backup system.

[@nancywolfe4177]

Thank you for your video. I will definitely be watching you for updates.

[@Dr_K545]

You do a great job explaining things and there's something calming about listening to your videos. I know it's weird to say, but it's true. Keep up the good work and don't listen to negative comments.

[@tomgolob5157]

The ship has 1 x propultion engine (50,000 HP?) and 4 auxilliary /power engines (2 x 5,200 , 2 x 5,900) , bowthruster(s) of 4,000 HP , b ut uneffective at speeds above 4-5 knots. I wonder how many loaded reefer containers are on board. These reefer containers all heavy own cooling compressors plugged to ship's mains and starting randomly , creating power surge. Would also remind , that the vessel has forward accommodation and engineering block in the aft. During manoeuvring engine room is manned by required personnel and during sea voyage duty engineer and additional engine crew (oiler ?) are in Stand by in the engineering block . They have own accommodation facilities for their duty period and during UMS (unattended machinery space) period , when they can rest in earlier mentioned own accommodation facility . Engineer on duty has a basic alarm panel installed in his accommodation/cabin. After duty is over , engineer returns to own designated cabin until next duty. A apologize for being long-winded , but wish to explain matters to readers without maritime backgrounds.

[@dcallan812]

It was my understanding they were attempting to balance the load of refrigerated container units that were tripping the electrical system before they even left the dock. It really should have stayed docked until the power issues had bee dealt with.

[@cgirl111]

I think the belching black smoke was due to the engine going full reverse and the turn was the result of prop walk in reverse. Dali is a single engine vessel.

[@LongDefiant]

Exactly.

[@stewartspeer1]

Authoritative, well researched and analysed, clearly communicated. eSysman is the place to go for all things yachting and shipping. Great channel

[@cheng006]

The smoke from the funnel is not the emergency generator. Exhaust pipe for emergency generator is mostly not led to the funnel but comes out of the emergency generator compartment direct. They are very small compared to main generators. Some navigation equipment , one steering motor out of 2, some emergency lighting some fire fighting equipment emergency air compressor are usually supplied through the emergency switchboard. When main electric power fails emergency generator starts automatically within 45 secs and starts supplying the emergency equipment. Breaker from main switchboard to emergency switchboard gets disconnected and remains disconnected as long as emergency generator is supplying power to prevent short circuits. Once main electrical power is restored things happen in reverse. Emergency switchboard breaker from em. Gen goes off main supply breaker comes on after couple of seconds and emergency equipment is now getting power from main switchboard via the emergency switchboard. At any given moment only one electrical power source can be active on the emergency switchboard. Emergency generator is usually started by battery with a hydraulic manual start as backup in case battery fails. Main generator on the other hand is started by compressed air similar to the main engine. Main engine can not start or run unless main electrical generators are running. Hope this clarifies many of your doubts.

[@oceanheadted]

Thanks for the video and your best take on what happened from the available data.

[@robinsattahip2376]

Great to hear someone who knows what he is talking about, thank you, excellent video.

[@mlogan2112]

Thank you for the update

[@tgwkk9167]

Love the conspiracy theories… and the well researched answers! Well done sir!

[@vissitorsteve]

Great sensible and objective review. Much appreciated, rather than the nonsense proposed by conspiracy theorists. Thank you!

[@andreww2927]

So glad we have you to interpret the real data, and provide plausible hypothesis. The Internet is assessable of misinformation, and you cut through the BS 🎉

[@gregoryschmitz2131]

Its also possible that the last of the 3 bigger generators was being started as well adding to the cloud of smoke. As a ref though, its not that the engine needs to come up to temperature (they have heat going into them at least coolant and possibly oil as well being heated) its all the fuel dumped into the cylinders on start that causes the huge plume of black smoke. It would be good to know what HP the backup generator is. My info is that there is something like 22,000 KW of Gen power on the ship (its huge amount but they have to maintain 1000 or 2000 reefer units in the Containers or at least that capability. Each reefer container average 5KW.

[@44quatro4]

The propulsion engine on the DALI is a single 2 stroke diesel rated at 40000kw. It is directly attached to a fixed pitch propellor. The normal engine/ propeller speed is 84 rpm for best efficiency. In order to reverse the engine, reverse configuration would be selected, this changes camshaft valve timing mechanically by pneumatic solenoids and a few other things. Fuel will not be added until the engine stops as there are interlocks. The method to slow the engine is by using only starting air which is injected into the cylinders in short bursts, this will act as a brake on the propellor which is being driven by the windmill effect of the passing water. Remember that to start these large engines air is injected directly into each cylinder to push the piston down not by a turbine on the flywheel. The Dali was not stopped so until that was achieved then no fuel could be injected in order for it to get started in reverse and generate reverse propulsion. In short if the propellor is turning forward then it cannot start in reverse until it is stopped.

[@davidrennolds969]

Another very interesting video. Sensible and considered comments. Keep up the good work.

[@ronblack7870]

your video shows the difference between a super yacht and a container ship. your shots of your ship look immaculate white and even stylish with the polished floor. all videos i have seen of container ships are much more industrial and typically green.

[@michaeljohn7398]

Excellent Discourse on this most important matter. It would appear that the 'Task Loading' Exceeded the 'Time Available to Complete the Task at Hand'. Cheers from Michael. Australia.

[@icebergzero]

I work marine search and rescue on the west coast of Canada, I appreciate your thoughtful, well examined approach.

[@rusty1850]

thanks for your time to give this info.

[@BlueJazzBoyNZ]

Thanks for your informed clarity !

[@sverrekoxvold3834]

Sir, you are doing a super job. Carry on as you were!

[@gaetansimard1594]

Way to much smoke coming out of the funnel to be the emergency generator starting. This was the main engine, trying to start or running full power astern. Now if the got the rudder going to turn the ship to the port side and then they start the engine in reverse then the ship will turn to Starboard. Could be what happened in the confusion…just a theory. Also, since I think they started the main engine, I am not sure that the emergency generator was even on the board. I think they restarted the main power with one on the main generator in order to be able to restart the main engine. Emergency generators are small power generators, they supply, steering gear, navigation euipments, fire pumps, emergency lights but sometimes not big enough to run all auxiliaries to run the main engine that require boiler, engine room fans, fuel module, LO oil pump, sea water pump, Fresh water pump, etc.

[@craigdouglasmartens7037]

I spent 5 years at sea fro January 1981 until late 1985 as a deck cadet. The largest vessel I sailed on was a 52000 ton container vessel which was a behemoth in it's own right. I spent many hours on the bridge either as a helmsman ( which I was invariably assigned to due to a lifetime of steering boats and ships of all sizes) and I can say I don't believe the vessel would have responded quickly enough by rudder alone. I would maybe not have gone full astern due to the propeller torque effect. The wind was a large factor and windage is significant on a container vessel. Port anchor deployment would have taken time to obtain purchase. Too much way and not enough time to regain control. Accidental at this stage until we know more.

[@normanboyes4983]

Well done for retaining your patience. I think any commenters should state if they have any sea going experience. I have 34 years sea going experience and have absolutely nothing to say about this incident - I was not there and have only heard what the NTSB have stated thus far and a whole load of speculation, conjecture and conspiracy theories on t’internet.

[@scottM-ws7yo]

Amen to that. So much utter nonsense being spoken by some.

[@mohammadiqbalkhan2888]

Very comprehensive explanation. Thanks for sharing!

[@rlanasa]

Full astern means the engine would be stopped. Then started again in reverse. On large ships there are no gear shifting or clutch. The engine is actually restarted in the opposite direction.