Indian Crew Stays on Ship Involved in US Bridge Collapse, 5 Days After Incident

The 20 Indian crew members of the ship involved in the bridge collision in Baltimore are currently remaining on the vessel, assisting officials and ensuring the ship’s daily operations are maintained, as reported by the New York Times.

The crew members will remain onboard until the debris from the bridge has been cleared, according to the NYT report. During this time, they will continue to manage the ship.

Named Dali, the ship was en route to Sri Lanka with 4,700 containers when it lost power and collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated that one of the Indian crew members had been hospitalized in Baltimore for stitches but has since returned to the ship.

Clearing the debris, freeing the ship, and reopening the channel to the port may take several weeks. On Saturday, the Governor of Maryland announced plans to remove the first piece of debris.

Chris James, an employee of a consulting firm assisting the ship’s management company, Synergy Marine, mentioned to NYT that the crew has enough food, water, and fuel to keep the generators running.

However, there is no specific timeline for the ship’s extraction yet. Once the investigations by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Coast Guard are complete, the crew may be replaced and sent home, Mr. James noted in the NYT report.

The crew has been commended for sending SOS messages that allowed authorities to halt traffic before the accident. Unfortunately, six people from a construction crew working on the bridge were killed when it collapsed.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had stated, “Our information is that there are 21 crew members, of which 20 are Indians. All of them are in good shape, good health. One of them got injured slightly, needed to have some stitches, and stitches have been given. And, he has gone back to the ship,” during a weekly media briefing in Delhi.