NORFOLK, Va. — The ship that collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday morning stopped in Portsmouth days before, Virginia Port Authority officials said.
According to a statement from an authority spokesperson, the MV Dali called at the Virginia International Gateway (VIG) terminal in Portsmouth and departed on March 22 for Baltimore as its next scheduled port of call.
"The vessel’s call at VIG and its departure from the Norfolk Harbor were without incident," the spokesperson wrote in the statement.
The statement comes as officials respond to the bridge's collapse after the collision. Officials with the Port of Baltimore said incoming and outgoing vessel traffic is suspended until further notice.
The spokesperson said the Virginia Port Authority's operation team is working with ocean carriers whose vessels were due to call Baltimore and offering the port to discharge cargoes as requested.
"The Port of Virginia has a significant amount of experience in handling surges of import and export cargo and is ready to provide whatever assistance we can to the team at the Port of Baltimore," the statement read.
The spokesperson also said the Port of Virginia is saddened by the news of the MV Dali's collision and the bridge's collapse.
"Our thoughts are with all those families directly impacted by this tragic event," the statement read.
According to maritime analytics provider MarineTraffic, the MV Dali is a Singapore-registered ship. It was scheduled to trek to Colombo, Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean with a scheduled arrival date of April 22.