NEW DELHI: The 22 Indian crew members on the cargo ship named Dali, which collided with a bridge in Baltimore, USA, are still on board, overseeing the ship’s operations and working with authorities.
As reported by the New York Times, the crew will remain on the ship, keeping it operable until the debris from the damaged bridge is cleared. The ship was en route to Sri Lanka with 4,700 containers when it lost power and struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
The ministry of external affairs (MEA) said one Indian crew member was briefly hospitalized in Baltimore but has since returned to the ship. The process of removing the debris, freeing the ship, and reopening the channel to the port may take several weeks.
Chris James, an employee of a consulting firm assisting the ship’s management company, Synergy Marine, told the NYT that the crew has sufficient food, water, and fuel to sustain operations. However, he added that there is no definite timeline for the ship’s extraction from the wreckage yet.
Once the national transportation safety board (NTSB) and the Coast Guard conclude their investigations, the crew may be rotated to return home, James added.
The executive director of the Baltimore International Seafarers’ Center, a religious nonprofit that seeks to protect the rights of mariners, Joshua Messick, was quoted as saying, “They must feel this weight of responsibility that they couldn’t stop it from happening.”
The crew members have been commended for sending out SOS signals before the collision, which helped prevent further accidents. Unfortunately, six individuals from the construction crew working on the bridge lost their lives when the structure collapsed.
(With inputs from agencies)
As reported by the New York Times, the crew will remain on the ship, keeping it operable until the debris from the damaged bridge is cleared. The ship was en route to Sri Lanka with 4,700 containers when it lost power and struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
The ministry of external affairs (MEA) said one Indian crew member was briefly hospitalized in Baltimore but has since returned to the ship. The process of removing the debris, freeing the ship, and reopening the channel to the port may take several weeks.
Chris James, an employee of a consulting firm assisting the ship’s management company, Synergy Marine, told the NYT that the crew has sufficient food, water, and fuel to sustain operations. However, he added that there is no definite timeline for the ship’s extraction from the wreckage yet.
Once the national transportation safety board (NTSB) and the Coast Guard conclude their investigations, the crew may be rotated to return home, James added.
The executive director of the Baltimore International Seafarers’ Center, a religious nonprofit that seeks to protect the rights of mariners, Joshua Messick, was quoted as saying, “They must feel this weight of responsibility that they couldn’t stop it from happening.”
The crew members have been commended for sending out SOS signals before the collision, which helped prevent further accidents. Unfortunately, six individuals from the construction crew working on the bridge lost their lives when the structure collapsed.
(With inputs from agencies)