8 Indian crew members of the cargo ship ‘Dali’, which collided with Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge in March, have finally departed for India after nearly three months aboard the vessel. The MV Dali, a 984-foot cargo ship, had 21 crew members, with four remaining on board as it prepares to depart for Norfolk, Virginia.
According to the Baltimore Maritime Exchange, the remaining crew has been relocated to a service apartment in Baltimore pending ongoing investigations into the incident. The collision resulted in the collapse of a section of the bridge and tragically claimed the lives of six construction workers.
The vessel, owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd, will undergo repairs at Norfolk before its next voyage. The departure of the eight Indian crew members, including a cook, a fitter, and seamen, follows a legal agreement approved by the judge overseeing the case. Meanwhile, the remaining 13 crew members, primarily officers, will remain in the US awaiting further developments in the investigation.
Rev. Joshua Messick, director of the Baltimore International Seafarers’ Center, expressed concern for the crew members’ well-being, noting their uncertainty about the future and the stress they face. He highlighted their anxieties about family separation and their treatment during the investigation.
Currently, none of the crew members have been charged in connection with the bridge collapse incident. The FBI and other federal agencies are actively conducting investigations to determine the cause and responsibility for the collision.
The Francis Scott Key Bridge, a critical transportation artery spanning the Patapsco River, suffered extensive damage from the collision on March 26. The bridge, known for its length of 2.6 kilometers and four lanes, plays a vital role in Baltimore’s infrastructure, connecting key areas across the river.
The MV Dali, designed for transporting containers with a capacity of 10,000 TEU and a deadweight of 116,851 DWT, was outbound from Baltimore to Colombo at the time of the collision.
