Investigators say cargo ship that hit Maryland bridge lost electric power several times before incident

Federal investigators said on Tuesday the Dali cargo ship lost electrical power several times including the day before it crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, killing six people.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said in a preliminary report that about 10 hours before leaving Baltimore, the Dali experienced a blackout during in-port maintenance. The board said the cargo ship had other outages including just minutes before the crash when electrical breakers unexpectedly tripped causing a loss of electrical power to all shipboard lighting and most equipment.

The NTSB said loss of electrical power stopped all three steering pumps, and, therefore, the rudder was unable to be moved.