The recent collision of mv Dali with the Francis Scott Key Bridge highlights the size of container vessels and their potential for damage. The accident caused loss of six lives, and as yet uncalculated costs for replacement and the considerable inconvenience including closing of the Baltimore Harbor. Following an inquiry appropriate preventive measures will be issued including the mandatory accompaniment of large vessels by tugs to avert collisions in the event of loss of propulsion The Dali constructed in 2015 as a Super Panamax container carrier has a beam of 158 ft and a length of 984 ft and can carry 10,000 20-ft equivalent container units (TEUs).  At the time of the accident, Dali was loaded at over 90 percent capacity.  Super Panamax carriers have transited the Panama Canal since 2016 and can be accommodated in ports with a channel of suitable depth and appropriate offloading installations. The largest vessels now afloat can carry up to 24,000 TEUs and are over 1,300 ft in length.

In 1980, the Summit Venture collided with the Sunshine Skyway Bridge near Tampa resulting in 35 fatalities and requiring reconstruction of the bridge with appropriate protective installations.  A near collision was avoided this past week when mv Qingdao 1,100 feet in length and 98,000tons, lost propulsion in the Kill van Kull waterway.  Three attending tugs together with three other vessels secured the carrier to avoid any possible contact with the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge. In March 2021, mv Ever Given a 20,000 TEU vessel, 1,300 feet in length blocked the Suez Canal for six days before being refloated. The incident restricted passage through the canal for over 400 vessels resulting in costs exceeding $1 billion.