The eight Indian crew members on board the cargo ship ‘Dali’ that rammed into the Baltimore bridge in the US three months ago are finally on their way back home.
According to Baltimore Maritime Exchange, four of the 21 crew members are still on board the 984-foot cargo ship MV Dali, which is tentatively scheduled to leave Friday evening for Norfolk, Virginia.
Meanwhile, the rest of the crew members have been lodged in a service apartment in Baltimore and will be required to stay there until the investigation into the bridge accident is completed.
About the Indian crew
Notably, 20 of the crew members were Indian nationals. They were on board the MV Dali Cargo, which struck the pillars of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge resulting in its collapse and the death of six construction workers in the tragic incident.
The departure of eight Indian crew members including a cook, a fitter and seamen follows a deal approved by the judge. None of these are officers. The rest 13 would remain in the US, mainly because of the pending investigations.
“They’re anxious, under considerable stress considering they don’t know the future. They don’t know when they’ll see their family again or how they’ll be treated here,” Rev. Joshua Messick, director of the Baltimore International Seafarers’ Center and chaplain for the Port of Baltimore told CNN.
In an
exclusive interview
with Firstpost, the Director of the Apostleship of the Sea, Middleton, revealed that 21 out of 22 crew members were from India and one of them was from Sri Lanka. He mentioned that the majority of the crew member were from the state of Kerala and their age ranged from the early 20s to the late 50s.
About the accident
The Singapore-flagged container vessel named Dali, heading out of Baltimore Harbor bound for Sri Lanka, plowed into a support pylon of the Francis Scott Key Bridge over the mouth of the Patapsco River in March.
Dali reported a faulty monitor gauge for fuel pressure which was however rectified in June last year.
The cargo ship “experienced a momentary loss of propulsion” just before it ran into the bridge moments before it ran into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed and blocked the commercial harbour, eventually leading to the collapse of the bridge.
With inputs from agencies
Link to article –
Homeward bound: 8 Indian crew members of cargo ship ‘Dali’ leave for India after 3 months on board
