Dali Crew Still Stuck On Container Ship After Baltimore Bridge Collapse
Twenty-one men have been stuck aboard a 947-foot-long container ship called the Dali after crashing into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in the Port of Baltimore.
The March 26, 2024, collapse of the bridge killed six construction workers. The crew members, 20 of whom are Indian and one who is Sri Lankan, have been trapped as they continue to operate the ship and cooperate with investigators who are looking into the collapse, according to The Associated Press.
“They can’t do any online banking. They can’t pay their bills at home. They don’t have any of their data or anyone’s contact information, so they’re really isolated right now,” said Joshua Messick, executive director of a nonprofit called Baltimore International Seafarers’ Center, according to the BBC. “They just can’t reach out to the folks they need to, or even look at pictures of their children before they go to sleep. It’s really a sad situation.”
The ship is set to be refloated next week. On Monday, explosives were detonated in an effort to break up a 4,000-ton piece of the bridge that had been resting on the bow of the Dali since the bridge collapsed. However, it’s unclear what happens to the crew next, according to AP.
“They’re part of the ship. They are necessary to keep the ship staffed and operational,” U.S. Coast Guard Adm. Shannon Gilreath said before the demolition, according to the BBC. “They’re the best responders on board the ship themselves.”
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating four power failures on the container ship before it destroyed the bridge, according to a preliminary report released Tuesday by NTSB.
“Two were related to routine maintenance in port. Two were unexpected tripping of circuit breakers on the accident voyage,” NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said Wednesday.
