who owns maritime travel

Maritime Travel Inc. began with a single storefront, called Maritime Travel, in 1949. Since then, we’ve become the largest independent travel agency in Canada. Today, our retail operations consist of over 100 locations from coast to coast with 13 locations branded LeGrow’s Travel in Newfoundland and Labrador, several branded Voyages Maritime in Quebec and Northern New Brunswick and the remainder branded Maritime Travel right across the country. Combined, our retail operations generate annual sales of over $350 million and employ over 500 people.

On May 16, 2002, we changed our name from Maritime Marlin Travel to Maritime Travel. When we originally affiliated with Marlin Travel in 1986 to provide our customers with a national network, we gained the ability to use the “Marlin” name within Atlantic Canada. This affiliation served us well for many years. However, with our acquisition of The Bay Travel in 2002, now Maritime Travel @ the Bay giving us locations nationwide, we no longer needed this affiliation to meet customers’ needs across Canada. Maritime Travel better reflects who we are – a Maritime-owned and headquartered company with a truly national reach.

In December 2009, the company hired 36 senior travel counsellors who had been with BCAA travel prior to BCAA closing its travel operations. Between 2009 and 2013, there were numerous acquisitions in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario, including ATCO Travel in the fall of 2010.

Maritime Travel Inc. is also committed to staying one step ahead of our competition in the ever-changing travel industry. We believe that good people are particularly critical to our ongoing success. Hiring the best staff and providing them with attractive compensation packages and benefits has helped us to build and maintain a highly educated and experienced team of experts. In fact, many of our staff have been with us for over 10 years. Maritime Travel Inc. also provides extensive training programs for all our staff, and we continuously invest in leading-edge technology to stay competitive. Many of the technology solutions we have incorporated have had a significant impact on all aspects of our service, from operational efficiencies in the retail shops to innovative solutions for our business travelers, like online booking tools.

Recognized for its leadership and employee satisfaction, Maritime Travel has been named one of the Top 20 Best Employers in Canada for 2020 by Kincentric in its annual study. The country’s premier benchmark for excellent workplaces, The Best Employers in Canada program publicly recognizes organizations that have created great work environments. It’s the 11th consecutive award for Maritime Travel. Maritime Travel has been recognized as one of Canada’s Best Managed Platinum Club for 17 consecutive years. Prior to that, it had been named one of Canada’s Best Managed companies since 1998.

Maritime Travel Inc. is a fully integrated travel company specializing in all aspects of travel, including developing, packaging, marketing, and distributing travel products and services.

Air Charters

Operating since 1999, Maritime Travel Air Charters offers a convenient, often cost-efficient charter service for our clients. This gives our clients — with two or more persons traveling — significant opportunities to save money and time, all with the added freedom of flying on their own schedule.

Air Consolidation

Launched in 1999, Discount Air serves as an internal consolidator for our retail network, sourcing international fares that are far more competitive than scheduled fares. This means huge savings for our customers. Sourcing and negotiating the availability of attractive fares is the greatest challenge faced by most agents. By providing an in-house service with fares online, Maritime Travel Inc.’s retail operations enjoy a significant competitive advantage.

Business Travel Management

Maritime Travel Inc.’s Business Travel Management operations offer business travel services and products to companies of all sizes. Operating under the Maritime and LeGrow’s brands, we service over 25 per cent of all business travel accounts in Atlantic Canada. Our leading-edge e-commerce Travel Smart Suite of products and “Confirmed” Business Travel Program are two of the many exclusive services we offer our customers.

Inbound Services

Maritime Travel Cruise Services (formerly Atlantic Cruise Ship Services) began as a small ground-handling company, servicing cruise ships arriving at Cape Breton Island. Today, Maritime Travel Cruise Services has expanded its service throughout Atlantic Canada, providing ground-handling services for companies such as Norwegian Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean Inc., among others.

Maritime Travel Conventions

Maritime Travel purchased Convention Connections, now known as Maritime Travel Conventions, as part of the acquisition of Atlantic American Express operations in November of 2005. This division has been in business for ten years, coordinating inbound convention services for organizations around the world. The services include negotiating and managing hotel room blocks as well as coordinating flights and event planning.

Meetings and Incentives

Maritime Travel Meetings & Incentives provides organizations with professional consulting and coordination of meetings, conventions and incentive programs. Companies face continuous operational challenges, such as building and maintaining moral, keeping staff turnover down and motivating their teams, all of which can be addressed with a well-planned and executed incentive program. The Maritime Meetings & Incentives team has broad expertise in developing meetings and incentive programs, from delivering client incentive trips hosted by our own president to developing incentives that can be driven or serviced from our regional branch network.

Retail Travel

Maritime Travel Inc. operates over 100 retail locations across the country, under the brands, Maritime Travel, LeGrow’s Travel, Airline Reservation Center, and Maritime Travel at The Bay. Our retail operations offer vacation travel services and products through all three distribution channels: travel agencies, a national call center and Internet sites. Our size and market share have allowed us to develop exclusive products and services, such as our Maritime Travel Insurance and Exclusive Payment Options.

Wholesale Operations

Launched in 1999, Holiday Escapes (formerly Maritime Holidays) continues to expand its programs and destinations. Holiday Escapes has made considerable investments in software that allows our agents to book online while giving our branch network access to products that sometimes are exclusive, yet always the best price for our customers.

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Our story is written by our dedicated team who make our vision of being the leading Travel Management Company to the Maritime Industry, a reality. However, our history begins onboard a houseboat alongside State Road 84. Founded in 2001 by Tim Davey in Fort Lauderdale, our original team consisted of just two agents.

In 2003 we reached our first milestone as we permanently Moved our HQ to the Fraser Yacht Building, one block off 17th Street Causeway. Over the next few years, we would go from strength to strength, opening several offices across the globe. By 2011 GMT would go on to open our 4th country location in Singapore.

Our business reached yet another major milestone in 2019 when V.Group, the leading global marine services provider, acquired Global Marine Travel from Inchcape Shipping Services. The move combines V.Travel with GMT’s industry-leading marine travel expertise, and brings greater scale to the combined operations, while increasing the companies’ ability to offer truly global, 24/7 travel operations focused on delivering customer satisfaction.

Through combined resources and investment in digital technologies, V.Group, V.Travel, and GMT has created a market-leading platform for managing and simplifying the seafarer journey from home to ship and back, enhancing the overall seafarer experience.

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• Premium Statistic Transport volume of worldwide maritime trade 1990-2021
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Transport volume of worldwide maritime trade 1990-2021

Transport volume of seaborne trade from 1990 to 2021 (in billion tons loaded)

Loaded and unloaded tonnage in worldwide maritime trade 2021, by continent

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YoY change in world container port throughput 2014-2027

Year-on-year (YoY) change in global container port throughput from 2014 to 2022, with a forecast through 2027

Number of port arrivals worldwide by country 2022

Leading countries in terms of port calls in 2022

Median time spent in port by container ships worldwide by segment 2021

Median time spent in port by container ships worldwide in 2021, by country (in days)

Carrying capacity of the global merchant fleet from 2013 to 2021 (in million dwt)

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Number of ships in the world merchant fleet as of January 1, 2022, by type

Global merchant fleet by type - capacity 2022

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Capacity of oil tankers in seaborne trade 1980-2022

Capacity of oil tankers in seaborne trade from 1980 to 2022 (in million dwt)

Capacity of container ships in seaborne trade 1980-2022

Capacity of container ships in seaborne trade from 1980 to 2022 (in million dwt)

Capacity of general cargo vessels in seaborne trade 1980-2022

Capacity of general cargo vessels in seaborne trade from 1980 to 2022 (in million dwt)

Tanker freight in international maritime trade 1970-2021

Quantity of tanker freight in international maritime trade from 1970 to 2021 (in million metric tons loaded)

Dry cargo in international maritime trade 1970-2021

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Leading ocean freight forwarders worldwide based on TEUs 2022

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Kuehne + Nagel 's worldwide revenue 2006-2023

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Leading container ship operators based on total TEUs 2024

The world's leading container ship operators as of January 23, 2024, based on TEU capacity

AP Møller - Mærsk's revenue A/S 2009-2022

AP Møller - Mærsk's revenue from FY 2009 to FY 2022 (in million U.S. dollars)

Shanghai International Port's revenue FY 2011-2022

Shanghai International Port's revenue from FY 2011 to FY 2022 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Major marine terminal operators worldwide based on throughput 2021

Major marine terminal operators worldwide in 2021, based on equity-adjusted throughput (in million twenty-foot equivalent units)

PSA International - revenue 2009-2022

PSA International's revenue from FY 2009 to FY 2022 (in million Singapore dollars)

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Largest shipbuilding nations in 2022, based on deliveries (in million gross tons)

Global shipbuilding order book 2022, by vessel type

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Number of ships in the world's leading container ship operators' order books as of January 25, 2024

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Causes of ship losses worldwide by type 2022

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Worldwide ship losses by vessel type 2013-2022

Number of ship losses worldwide between 2013 and 2022, by vessel type

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Number of pirate attacks against ships worldwide from 2010 to 2022

Number of pirate attacks worldwide by ship type 2022

Number of pirate attacks on ships worldwide in 2022, by ship type

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Who owns the ocean?

Are the oceans really free for all? Find out what could be done to protect marine environments – and who has the power to make it happen

Around two thirds of the world’s ocean are considered ‘international waters’. They lie beyond the boundaries of any one country. 

The ‘high seas’ however are not lawless. Seafarers , ships, companies and countries are all subject to maritime law: a system of rules, international agreements and conventions that together govern activities on the high seas.

While these laws are meant to ensure that no single nation can lay claim to our ocean , they also come with a problem: if ‘no one’ owns the ocean, who’s responsible for caring for them?

One potential answer to that question came in 2023 with the passing of the UN High Seas Treaty – officially known as the International legally binding instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction . 

It’s a long title for a long and potentially groundbreaking document . How did we get to this point, and how might the way the ocean is governed help safeguard the future of our planet?

Learn more with the National Maritime Museum .

No one owns the ocean. The seas and oceans are considered to be a ‘global commons’, which means that they belong to everyone and no one at the same time.

However, countries do have the right to claim ‘exclusive economic zones’ (EEZs) up to 200 nautical miles from their coastlines. Within these zones, countries have special rights to explore and exploit natural resources, such as fish, oil and gas .

Outside of these zones, both vessels and countries are subject to maritime law.

A map of the world showing Exclusive Economic Zones. The areas in dark blue are international waters.

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Map by B1mbo, CC BY-SA 3.0 CL , via Wikimedia Commons

What is maritime law?

Maritime law is a system of laws, conventions and regulations that govern activities on the seas and oceans. It covers a wide range of issues, from navigation, shipping, seafarer welfare and piracy to fishing, marine pollution and conservation. 

One of the principles of maritime law is the freedom of the high seas. This principle means that all countries have the right to use the oceans for navigation, fishing and other activities without interference from others. The ocean is free for all.

But there is a counter to this. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, adopted in 1982, recognises that the ocean is the ‘common heritage of humankind’, and that ‘No State shall claim or exercise sovereignty or sovereign rights over any part of the Area or its resources’.

While the ocean is free for all, it should not be a free for all, open to exploitation and abuse.

Major challenges around ratifying and enforcing the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea remain, and it has limited influence over what individual countries choose to do within their own exclusive economic zones.

However, recent developments show that maritime law can play an important role in ensuring the sustainability of the ocean and health of our planet.

"From oil to tin, diamonds to gravel, metals to fish, the resources of the sea are enormous. The reality of their exploitation grows day by day as technology opens new ways to tap those resources."

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea – a historical perspective

What is the UN High Seas Treaty?

Efforts to increase international cooperation around the protection of the ocean have been ongoing for many years, with the United Nations (UN) at the forefront.

One of the most significant recent developments is the so-called UN High Seas Treaty , an agreement reached in March 2023 following years of negotiations. If ratified, the treaty could lead to better protection for marine life and more sustainable management of the ocean’s resources.

This treaty allows for the creation of a network of marine protected areas, designed to ‘protect, preserve, restore and maintain biodiversity and ecosystems’.

This could aid the campaign to protect 30 per cent of the ocean by 2030 , one of the key targets of the UN’s 17  Sustainable Development Goals  for 2030.

The treaty also requires countries to conduct Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) on planned marine activities such as deep sea mining before they are authorised. This is designed to lead to better understanding of human impacts on the ocean, and challenge actions ‘that may cause substantial pollution of or significant and harmful changes to the marine environment’.

The High Seas Treaty has been called a ‘ breakthrough’ for international conservation efforts and marine diversity. But there is still work to be done: countries must first legally adopt the agreement and then work together to implement the treaty’s requirements.

"We are delighted to hear that the UN High Seas Treaty has finally become a reality.

"a healthy ocean is vital for the survival of all living things, and this is the message we continue to deliver through our work at ocean generation. protecting 30% by 2030 must, however, be seen as a minimum requirement., "we view this agreement as a starting point. the ocean is our ally in the fight against climate change and we must stop underestimating its role in our survival. the sooner this treaty is ratified by all countries, the better chance we have of a safe and healthy future for the generations that will follow us.".

Jo Ruxton MBE, Founder of Ocean Generation

Explore the ocean at the National Maritime Museum

Our Ocean, Our Planet

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Virgin Voyages Prepares For U.S. Launch — Who Owns the New Cruise Line?

Virgin Voyages is owned in part by Richard Branson, with major investments from Bain Capital. Here's everything we know about the new cruise line.

Aug. 30 2022, Published 9:38 a.m. ET

Virgin Voyages has begun operations in the UK and the first U.S. voyage is set for October 2022.

In a niche of the travel industry dominated by Carnival and Royal Caribbean, billionaire entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson is attempting to appeal to a different consumer. Branson’s Virgin Group founded Virgin Voyages, which had its first U.K. sailing this summer and will soon embark on its first voyage from the U.S. So, who owns Virgin Voyages?

The Virgin cruise line, Virgin Voyages, is owned by parent company Virgin Group and its top investor, Bain Capital. Branson, though most consider him synonymous with the Virgin brand, doesn’t own all of the Virgin companies outright. He licenses out the name to subsidiaries, so his actual assets are considerably less than most people assume.

Bain Capital is Virgin Voyages’ majority investor.

The private equity firm Bain Capital is the largest investor in Virgin Voyages. According to CNBC, total investments in the cruise line (not all from Bain) were about $3 billion as of September 2021. Each ship cost about $800 million.

Bain Capital’s consumer and retail chief Ryan Cotton told CNBC that “the public markets are a really viable option for us.”

Bain Capital manages about $160 billion across asset classes including credit, public equity, venture capital , and real estate.

Virgin Voyages raised $550 million in August 2022.

The company closed on an additional $550 million in capital as of August 16, 2022. Bain Capital Private Equity and Virgin Group participated, along with new investor BlackRock Global Credit leading the raise.

Brendan Galloway, director at BlackRock, said “the industry is exhibiting a powerful rebound” from the past few years’ challenges.

Branson celebrating his birthday aboard a Virgin Voyages cruise this summer.

Richard Branson said he started Virgin Voyages to change the cruise industry.

Branson told CNBC that he was inspired to start a cruise line because cruising as it was didn’t appeal to him. He said, “Do you know I was never interested in going on cruise ships, and I suspect there’s something like 90 percent of people who are listening are not that interested in going on cruise ships.”

Virgin Voyages’ no-kid policy is part of the company strategy to attract a different clientele than the typical cruise customer. Morgan Stanley estimates the average age of cruise passengers in the U.S. to be 49. Trade organization Cruise Lines International Association estimates it to be 47.

Branson hopes that the policy of adults-only cruising may attract younger cruise customers such as millennials. “It’s just going to be a fun ship for adults.” The first U.S. voyage is set to depart from Miami on Oct. 6 after numerous pandemic-caused delays.

Virgin Voyages aims to be an adults-only, fun cruising atmosphere.

Cruise line competitors say Virgin Voyages could ultimately be good for the industry.

According to CNBC, Royal Caribbean’s CEO Richard Fain believes the new Virgin Voyages cruise line could be beneficial to their business. New cruise lines could draw attention to the industry and help other cruise lines rather than taking away customers.

Fain said that Disney’s cruise lines ultimately helped their business by increasing supply by 2 percent and adding 10 percent to the demand for cruises. Therefore, he isn't concerned about Virgin Voyages harming Royal Caribbean revenues.

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Watch CBS News

Who owns the ship that struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore?

By Megan Cerullo

Edited By Anne Marie Lee

Updated on: March 26, 2024 / 5:05 PM EDT / CBS News

The collapse of  Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge on Tuesday after being struck by a cargo ship has raised questions about who owns and manages the ship, as well as on the potential impact on one the busiest ports in the U.S.

Called the Dali, the 948-foot vessel that hit the bridge is managed by Synergy Marine Group, a Singapore-based company with over 660 ships under management worldwide, according to its website . The group said the ship was operated by charter vessel company Synergy Group and chartered by Danish shipping giant Maersk at the time of the incident, which sent vehicles and people tumbling into the Patapsco River.

"We are horrified by what has happened in Baltimore, and our thoughts are with all of those affected," Maersk said in a statement to CBS News on Tuesday, in which it also confirmed the ship was carrying cargo for Maersk customers. The company had no crew or personnel aboard the ship.

The Dali, which can carry up to 10,000 twenty-foot equivalent units, or TEUs, was carrying nearly 4,700 containers at the time of the collision. It was operated by a 22-person, Indian crew. It was not immediately clear what kind of cargo the ship was carrying. 

Who owns and manages the Dali?

The Dali is owned by Grace Ocean Private, a Singapore-based company that provides water transportation services. The ship was chartered by Danish container shipping company Maersk at the time of the collision.

Synergy Marine, founded in 2006, provides a range of ship management services, including managing ships' technical components and their crews and overseeing safety, according to S&P Capital IQ. Its parent company, Unity Group Holdings International, an investment holding company, was founded in 2008 and is based in Hong Kong.

Where was the ship headed?

The outbound ship had left Baltimore and was headed for Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, Synergy Marine Group said in a  press release . 

How busy is the Port of Baltimore?

In 2023, the Port of Baltimore handled a record 52.3 million tons of foreign cargo, worth $80 billion, according  to the office of Maryland Gov. Wes Moore. The port is also a significant provider of local jobs. 

The top port in the U.S. for sugar and gypsum imports, it is the ninth busiest U.S. port by the total volume and value of foreign cargo handled. All vessel traffic into and out of the facility is currently suspended, although the port remains open and trucks continue to be processed within its terminals, according to a statement released by Port of Baltimore officials. 

What is the potential local economic impact?

Directly, the port supports 15,300 jobs, while another 140,000 in the area are related to port activities. The jobs provide a combined $3.3 billion in personal income, according to a CBS News report . The Port of Baltimore said Tuesday that it is unclear how long ship traffic will be suspended.

The disaster also caused chaos for local drivers. The Maryland Transportation Authority said all lanes were closed in both directions on I-695, with traffic being detoured to I-95 and I-895.

How could the bridge collapse affect consumers and businesses?

Experts say the bridge collapse could cause significant supply chain disruptions.

"While Baltimore is not one of the largest U.S. East Coast ports, it still imports and exports more than 1 million containers each year, so there is the potential for this to cause significant disruption to supply chains," Emily Stausbøll, a market analyst at Xeneta, an ocean and air freight analytics platform, said in a statement. 

She added that freight services from Asia to the East Coast in the U.S. have already been hampered by drought in the Panama Canal, as well as risks related to conflict in the Red Sea. Nearby ports, including those in New York, New Jersey and Virginia, will be relied on to handle more shipments if Baltimore remains inaccessible. 

Whether ocean freight shipping rates will rise dramatically, potentially affecting consumers as retailers pass along higher costs, will depend on how much extra capacity the alternate ports can handle, Stausbøll said. "However, there is only so much port capacity available and this will leave supply chains vulnerable to any further pressure."

Marty Durbin, senior vice president of policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said that the bridge is a critical connector of "people, businesses, and communities."

"Unfortunately, its prolonged closure will likely disrupt commercial activities and supply chains that rely on the bridge and Port of Baltimore each day," he said in a statement.

What other industries could be affected?

Trucking companies could be severely affected by the disaster. 

"Aside from the obvious tragedy, this incident will have significant and long-lasting impacts on the region," American Trucking Associations spokesperson Jessica Gail said, calling Key Bridge and Baltimore's port "critical components'' of the nation's infrastructure.

Gail noted that 1.3 million trucks cross the bridge every year — 3,600 a day. Trucks that carry hazardous materials will now have to make 30 miles of detours around Baltimore because they are prohibited from using the city's tunnels, she said, adding to delays and increasing fuel costs.

"Time-wise, it's going to hurt us a lot," added Russell Brehm, the terminal manager in Baltimore for Lee Transport, which trucks hazardous materials such as petroleum products and chemicals. The loss of the bridge will double to two hours the time it takes Lee to get loads from its terminal in Baltimore's Curtis Bay to the BJ's gasoline station in the waterfront neighborhood of Canton, he estimated.

Cruise operators are also being affected. A Carnival cruise ship that set off Sunday for the Bahamas had been scheduled to return to Baltimore on March 31. Carnival said Tuesday that it is "currently evaluating options for Carnival Legend's scheduled return on Sunday." The company also has cruises scheduled to set sail from Baltimore through the summer. 

Norwegian Cruise Line last year introduced new routes departing from the Port of Baltimore. Its sailings are scheduled for late this year. The company said the Key Bridge collapse doesn't immediately require it to reroute any ships.

Who will pay to rebuild the bridge?

President Biden said Tuesday that the federal government, with congressional support, would pay to rebuild the bridge.

"We're going to work with our partners in Congress to make sure the state gets the support it needs. It's my intention that the federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstructing that bridge," Biden said in comments from the White House. "And I expect the Congress to support my effort. This is going to take some time. The people of Baltimore can count on us though, to stick with them, at every step of the way, till the port is reopened and the bridge is rebuilt."

—The Associated Press contributed to this report.

• Francis Scott Key Bridge
• Bridge Collapse
• Patapsco River

Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News Streaming to discuss her reporting.

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Baltimore bridge collapse wasn't first major accident for giant container ship Dali

Propulsion failed on the cargo ship that struck the Francis Key Bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday as it was leaving port, causing it to collapse into the frigid Patapsco River. Its crew warned Maryland officials of a possible collision because they had lost control.

“The vessel notified MD Department of Transportation (MDOT) that they had lost control of the vessel” and a collision with the bridge “was possible,” according to an unclassified Department of Homeland Security report. “The vessel struck the bridge causing a complete collapse.”

An official speaking on condition of anonymity confirmed to USA TODAY that the DHS’ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is working with federal, state, and local officials “to understand the potential impacts of this morning’s collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.”

Clay Diamond, executive director, American Pilots’ Association, told USA TODAY power issues are not unusual on cargo ships, which are so large they cannot easily course correct.

“It’s likely that virtually every pilot in the country has experienced a power loss of some kind (but) it generally is momentary,” Diamond said. “This was a complete blackout of all the power on the ship, so that’s unusual. Of course this happened at the worst possible location.” 

The ship in Tuesday's crash, Dali, was involved in at least one prior accident when it collided with a shipping pier in Belgium.

That 2016 incident occurred as the Dali was leaving port in Antwerp and struck a loading pier made of stone, causing damage to the ship’s stern, according to VesselFinder.com, a site that tracks ships across the world. An investigation determined a mistake made by the ship’s master and pilot was to blame.

No one was injured in that crash, although the ship required repair and a full inspection before being returned to service. The pier – or berth – was also seriously damaged and had to be closed.

VesselFinder reports that the Dali was chartered by Maersk, the same company chartering it during the Baltimore harbor incident.

The 9-year-old container ship had passed previous inspections during its time at sea, but during one such inspection in June at the Port of San Antonio in Chile, officials discovered a deficiency with its "propulsion and auxiliary machinery (gauges, thermometers, etc)," according to the Tokyo MOU, an intergovernmental maritime authority in the Asia-Pacific region.

The report provided no other information about the deficiency except to note that it was not serious enough to remove the ship from service.

Follow here for live updates: Baltimore's Key Bridge collapses after ship strike; construction crew missing: Live Updates

Why did Dali crash into the Baltimore bridge?

Officials said Tuesday they’re investigating the collision, including whether systems on board lost electricity early Tuesday morning, which could be related to mechanical failure, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly.

Accidents at sea, known as marine casualties, are not uncommon, the source told USA TODAY. However, “allisions,” in which a moving object strikes a stationary one with catastrophic results, are far less common. The investigation of the power loss aboard the Dali, a Singapore-flagged vessel, will be a high priority.

In a video posted to social media, lights on the Dali shut off, then turned back on, then shut off again before the ship struck a support pier on the bridge.

Numerous cargo and cruise ships have lost power over the years.

The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea requires all international vessels to have two independent sources of electricity, both of which should be able to maintain the ship's seaworthiness on their own, according to a safety study about power failures on ships , citing the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea.

The Dali's emergency generator was likely responsible for the lights coming back on after the initial blackout, Diamond said.

“There was still some steerage left when they initially lost power,” he said. “We’ve been told the ship never recovered propulsion. The emergency generator is a diesel itself – so if you light off the generator, that’s also going to put off a puff of exhaust.”

Under maritime law, all foreign flagged vessels must be piloted into state ports by a state licensed pilot so the Dali's pilot is licensed by Association of Maryland Pilots .

Diamond described the incident based on information from the Maryland agency that licensed the pilot aboard the ship. His organization represents that group and all other state piloting agencies in the US.

“The pilot was directing navigation of the ship as it happened,” he said. “He asked the captain to get the engines back online. They weren’t able to do that, so the pilot took all the action he could. He tried to steer, to keep the ship in the channel. He also dropped the ship’s anchor to slow the ship and guide the direction.

“Neither one was enough. The ship never did regain its engine power.”

How big is the Dali ship?

The Dali is a 984-foot container vessel built in 2015 by Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea. With a cruising speed of about 22 knots – roughly 25 mph. It has traveled the world carrying goods from port to port.

The ship, constructed of high-strength steel, has one engine and one propeller, according to MarineTraffic.com.

The Dali arrived in Baltimore on Sunday from the Port of Norfolk in Virginia. Before that, it had been in New York and came through the Panama Canal.

It remains at the scene of the collapse as authorities investigate.

Who owns and operates the Dali?

It is owned by the Singapore-based Grace Ocean Pte Ltd but managed by Synergy Marine Group, also based in Singapore. It was carrying Maersk customers’ cargo, according to a statement from the shipping company.

“We are deeply concerned by this incident and are closely monitoring the situation,” Maersk said in the statement. 

Synergy, which describes itself as a leading ship manager with more than 600 vessels under its guidance, issued a statement on its website acknowledging the incident and reporting no injuries among its crew and no pollution in the water. There were two pilots on board and 22 crew members in all, according to Synergy, all of them from India.

USA TODAY reached out to Synergy on Tuesday, but the company did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Contributing: Josh Susong

National Maritime Day 2024: History, Significance and Celebration

Published By : Nibandh Vinod

Trending Desk

Last Updated: April 05, 2024, 09:54 IST

Mumbai, India

The National Maritime Day is celebrated on April 5 annually. (Image: Shutterstock)

National Maritime Day was celebrated for the first time in 1964 to honour the inaugural voyage of the first Indian-owned ship SS Loyalty, on April 5, 1919.

National Maritime Day, celebrated annually in India on April 5, honours those who spend months at sea, contributing to India’s trade. It also commemorates the inaugural voyage of the first Indian-owned ship. This year, the Government of India will celebrate the National Maritime Day alongside the Merchant Navy Week from March 30 to April 5. The National Maritime Day offers an opportunity to emphasise the role of the maritime industry in India’s economic growth and highlights the sacrifice of seafarers who not only run the trade but also partake in national security by deterring pirate attacks.

History and Significance

The National Maritime Day was first celebrated in 1964 by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways. This year will mark the 61st National Maritime Day. The day not only celebrates India’s maritime might, but also commemorates the inaugural voyage of the first Indian-owned ship, SS Loyalty from Mumbai to London on April 5, 1919.

The maiden voyage of SS Loyalty symbolised India’s aspiration of becoming a key stakeholder in the maritime sector. The SS Loyalty also put a dent in the monopoly of the British shipping companies.

The day serves as a platform to highlight issues affecting the maritime industry such as ocean pollution, lack of global cooperation to ensure safe voyages, and improving working conditions for ship and port workers.

How it is celebrated

The National Maritime Day celebrations are held across the country, but major ports such as Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Kandla, and Visakhapatnam see special government-supported events such as seminars, medical camps, and blood donation drives.

The National Maritime Day celebrations include observing the Merchant Navy Flag Day and the Wreath Laying Ceremony to honour the sailors who lost their lives in the First and Second world wars.

On National Maritime Day, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways presents the Sagar Samman Awards to those who display “exceptional and outstanding all-round and leadership” and “outstanding bravery” in the maritime sector.

The awards include the Sagar Samman Varuna Award, which is the highest category of award, the Sagar Samman Award for Excellence, and the Sagar Samman Award for Gallantry.

The best Indian ship-owning companies, maritime training institutes, and Indian Ports are also recognised with a number of awards.

India’s growth as an emerging maritime superpower

Today, India has become the 16th largest maritime country in the world, supported by about 200 non-major ports and 12 major ports.

As per a March 2024, press release by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, “over the last 9 years, the number of seafarers has increased by 140 per cent.”

Additionally, the Indian seafarers “occupy 12 percent of international seafaring jobs”. By 2023, the ministry wants this figure to touch 20 per cent.

• National Maritime Day

Singaporean firm whose ship took down the Baltimore bridge just cited an 1851 maritime law to cap liability at $44 million

The owner and manager of a cargo ship that rammed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge before the span  collapsed last week  filed a court petition Monday seeking to limit their legal liability for the deadly disaster.

The companies’ “limitation of liability” petition is a routine but important procedure for cases litigated under U.S. maritime law. A federal court in Maryland ultimately decides who is responsible—and how much they owe—for what could become one of the costliest catastrophes of its kind.

Singapore-based Grace Ocean Private Ltd. owns the Dali, the vessel that lost power before it slammed into the bridge early last Tuesday. Synergy Marine Pte Ltd., also based in Singapore, is the ship’s manager.

Their  joint filing  seeks to cap the companies’ liability at roughly $43.6 million. It estimates that the vessel itself is valued at up to $90 million and was owed over $1.1 million in income from freight. The estimate also deducts two major expenses: at least $28 million in repair costs and at least $19.5 million in salvage costs.

The companies filed under a pre-Civil War provision of an 1851 maritime law that allows them to seek to limit their liability to the value of the vessel’s remains after a casualty. It’s a mechanism that has been employed as a defense in many of the most notable maritime disasters, said James Mercante, a New York City-based attorney with over 30 years of experience in maritime law.

“This is the first step in the process,” Mercante said. “Now all claims must be filed in this proceeding.”

Cases like this typically take years to completely resolve, said Martin Davies, director of Tulane University Law School’s Maritime Law Center.

“Although it’s a humongous case with a very unusual set of circumstances, I don’t think it’s going to be that complicated in legal terms,” he said. “All aspects of the law are very clear here, so I think the thing that will take the time here is the facts. What exactly went wrong? What could have been done?”

A report from credit rating agency Morningstar DBRS predicts the bridge collapse could become the most expensive marine insured loss in history, surpassing the record of about $1.5 billion held by the 2012  shipwreck of the Costa Concordia  cruise ship off Italy. Morningstar DBRS estimates total insured losses for the Baltimore disaster could be $2 billion to $4 billion.

Eight people were working on the highway bridge—a 1.6-mile (2.6-kilometer) span over the Patapsco River—when it collapsed. Two were rescued. The bodies of two more were recovered. Four remain missing and are presumed dead.

The wreckage closed the Port of Baltimore, a major shipping port, potentially costing the area’s economy hundreds of millions of dollars in lost labor income alone over the next month.

Experts say the  cost to rebuild  the collapsed bridge could be at least $400 million or as much as twice that, though much will depend on the new design.

The amount of money families can generally be awarded for wrongful death claims in maritime law cases is subject to several factors, including how much money the person would have likely provided in financial support to their family if they had not died.

Generally, wrongful death damages may also include things such as funeral expenses and the “loss of nurture,” which is essentially the monetary value assigned to whatever moral, spiritual or practical guidance the victim would have been able to provide to their children.

Associated Press writer Stefanie Dazio in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

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Who Will Pay for the Baltimore Bridge Collapse?

Disputes over liability and the cost of claims could take years for insurers to resolve and result in billions of dollars in payouts.

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By Jenny Gross ,  Michael Forsythe ,  Emily Flitter and Peter Eavis

Jenny Gross reported from London. Michael Forsythe, Emily Flitter and Peter Eavis reported from New York.

On the day the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed, President Biden said the federal government would pay the “ entire cost ” of rebuilding it, which some suggest could run to more than $1 billion. Washington will foot the bill so the bridge and nearby port can reopen “as soon as humanly possible,” he said.

The hope is that much of the cost will be recouped from insurers, but determining who is ultimately on the hook for the deadly disaster is set to become one of the messiest and most expensive disputes of its kind. Rebuilding the bridge, repairing the cargo ship that hit it and compensating companies for the disruption at one of the nation’s busiest ports may take years to resolve.

“We’re not going to wait,” said Mr. Biden, who plans to visit Baltimore on Friday to survey the damage.

The legal wrangling began this week when the shipowner, Grace Ocean Private Ltd., and the ship manager, Synergy Marine, both based in Singapore, filed a petition in U.S. District Court to limit their liability to $43.7 million. They cited an 1851 law that allows a shipowner to cap financial damages mostly to the value of a ship after a crash, if the owner is determined not to have been at fault.

Claims against the ship’s owner and manager must be filed to the federal court in Baltimore by Sept. 24, a judge said.

Experts in maritime law and insurance said determining liability was particularly complex because of the many parties involved, from shipowners in Asia to insurers in Europe to companies around the world that move goods in and out of Baltimore. Numerous lawsuits are expected, and the six deaths caused by the disaster add a grim layer of complications.

“You can’t just necessarily settle with one party and make it go away,” said Franziska Arnold-Dwyer, a senior lecturer in insurance law at Queen Mary University of London.

Investigators are still determining what caused such a catastrophic failure on the cargo ship, the Dali; why the massive vessel appeared to lose power and propulsion before hitting the bridge; and whether negligence was involved. The answers will have implications for who is liable for damage that may cost insurers and reinsurers up to $4 billion, according to industry experts.

“You’re looking at historic, record losses” for maritime insurers, said Sean Kevelighan, chief executive of the Insurance Information Institute, a trade group. The higher estimates could exceed the roughly $1.5 billion paid out after the Costa Concordia crisis in 2012, when 32 people were killed as the cruise ship ran aground off the Italian island of Giglio .

Losses are accumulating, with the Port of Baltimore, a top destination for car shipments , largely closed. Officials said this week that they had opened a channel around the wreckage for limited traffic. A full reopening of the port is expected in late May .

Very little is known about the owner of Grace Ocean, a Japanese businessman named Yoshimasa Abe, except that he is very wealthy.

Most of his known wealth comes from his fleet of more than 50 vessels, including container ships, bulk carriers, tankers and refrigerated cargo ships. They are owned by two Singapore-based companies, Grace Ocean Private and Argosy Pte., that Mr. Abe controls through an offshore company. VesselsValue , which compiles shipping data, estimates that those ships, including the damaged Dali, are worth a combined $2.9 billion.

Shipowners often borrow large amounts of money to buy their fleets. There is little public information about Mr. Abe’s debts, but in 2010 Grace Ocean borrowed $250 million from Mitsui & Company, a Japanese trading firm.

Mr. Abe is also the majority owner of two Chinese shipyards on islands off the coast of Ningbo, according to Sayari and WireScreen , companies that compile and analyze corporate data. Combined, the two shipyards can repair more than 200 vessels a year.

It is unusual for foreign companies to control Chinese shipyards, especially in recent years as industry consolidation in the country has favored state-owned companies, said Matthew Funaiole, who has written about Chinese shipyards for the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. “There’s really not much space for there to be foreign ownership,” he said.

Among the 68 member companies, schools and associations focused on ship repair that belong to the China Association of the National Shipbuilding Industry, a trade group, three are foreign-owned shipyards, of which Mr. Abe has a majority interest in two.

Mr. Abe did not respond to a request for an interview or answer written questions about his business. “Out of respect for the investigation and the legal process we will not be making additional public statements,” Jim Lawrence, a spokesman for the Dali’s management company and for Grace Ocean, said in an email. He confirmed earlier that Mr. Abe owned Grace Ocean Investment Limited, a company based in the British Virgin Islands that owns both Argosy Pte. and Grace Ocean Private.

If the shipowner is found liable, its insurer, a mutual association called Britannia P&I Club, will cover the first $10 million of claims, which could include coverage for loss of lives, debris removal, property damage and cargo damage. The Dali was carrying products including paper, U.S. soybeans destined for China and some hazardous materials, according to Concirrus, a marine insurance data provider, and DG Global, an agricultural exporter with goods on the ship.

Beyond $10 million, the 12 clubs including Britannia that make up the London-based International Group of P&I Clubs, which collectively insure about 90 percent of the world’s oceangoing tonnage, would share the cost of claims of up to $100 million. For claims above $100 million, dozens of reinsurers will cover costs up to roughly $3 billion.

The $3 billion figure is so widely known that it could become a target for businesses making damage claims. “There are some reinsurers expecting the worst,” said Hugo Chelton, a managing director at Howden Re, a reinsurance broker.

The global reinsurance industry ended last year with $670 billion in capital, according to Aon , an insurance broker. Though the bridge damage promises to be costly, it is not likely to be among the largest payouts reinsurers have faced recently. Hurricane Ian, which hit Florida in 2022, caused more than $50 billion in insured losses.

Sridhar Manyem, an analyst for AM Best, a ratings agency for insurers, said the potential losses from the bridge collapse did not seem large enough to do long-term damage to any insurers or reinsurers. “It should not affect their balance sheets,” he said.

While a significant share of the claims may be directed at the ship’s insurers, other businesses affected by the bridge and port closure could make claims on other policies to cover their losses, adding to the insured losses caused by the incident.

Scott Cowan, the president of International Longshoremen’s Association Local 333, the union representing Baltimore dockworkers, said on Tuesday that nearly 2,000 workers were still doing jobs at the port, like unloading cargo that arrived before the bridge collapsed.

Mr. Cowan said union leaders had asked for help from the federal and state governments. “The longer the channel’s closed and the longer we’re out, the bigger the problem is going to be,” he said. Many jobs at the port are considered daily hire jobs rather than full-time positions, so they will last only as long as work remains to be done.

Government funds for companies whose operations have been disrupted may not be fully recouped from insurers, said Oscar Seikaly, chief executive of NSI Insurance Group, an insurance broker.

In recent years, when Washington has stepped in with emergency aid after a commercial disaster, taxpayers have later largely recovered the costs, although the international scope of claims in the Baltimore bridge collapse will add complexity to the process.

Representative Dan Meuser, Republican of Pennsylvania, said he was outraged that Mr. Biden had immediately offered to use federal money to pay for the bridge’s reconstruction without considering other sources of funds, including from the owners and insurers of the Dali.

“Insurance payouts could potentially cover the entire cost of rebuilding the bridge without any taxpayer dollars being spent,” he said.

Robyn Patterson, a White House spokeswoman, said the responsible party or parties must be held accountable, but added, “We’re not waiting to get started on this critically important infrastructure project.”

Alain Delaquérière contributed research.

An earlier version of this article misstated a division of an insurance broker. It is Howden Re, not Howden.

How we handle corrections

Jenny Gross is a reporter for The Times in London covering breaking news and other topics. More about Jenny Gross

Michael Forsythe a reporter on the investigations team at The Times, based in New York. He has written extensively about, and from, China. More about Michael Forsythe

Emily Flitter writes about finance and how it impacts society. More about Emily Flitter

Peter Eavis reports on business, financial markets, the economy and companies across different sectors. More about Peter Eavis