The crew of the sunken container ship Dali are still marooned on the ship that crashed into a major bridge in Baltimore seven days ago.
Rescuers worked tirelessly to save people who were plunged into the icy waters of the Patapsco River after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after being struck by the Dali, a 948-foot by 158-foot container ship, last Tuesday. .
But the nearly two dozen sailors who were on the ship are forced to remain on the sunken ship, and there are no plans to disembark them anytime soon, even though U.S. officials were allowed on and off the ship.
Most of the Dali’s crew are from India, and India confirms that 20 of them are from the country and one is from Sri Lanka, according to the US Coast Guard. Little else is known about the workers.
None of them have been allowed to disembark as the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) continues its investigation into the accident, which killed six construction workers who were on the bridge at the time.
Shipping activity at the nearby port, one of the busiest in the United States, has also stopped.
Rescuers worked tirelessly to save dozens of people who were plunged into the icy waters of the Patapsco River after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after being hit by Dali.
The nearly two dozen sailors who were on the ship are forced to remain on the sunken ship.
There are no plans to disembark the crew in the short term
As foreign citizens, they need a large number of documents to legally disembark from Dali, and it is currently unknown if they have the necessary forms to disembark.
In addition to visas, sailors need valid land passes that give them the right to disembark.
While they were not allowed to leave, NTSB officials were seen climbing onto the wreckage of the ship last week to interview the crew and understand exactly how the accident occurred.
NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy did not say when the Dali’s crew would be allowed to depart, but said they had power and food, and appeared to be adjusting to life aboard the ship.
‘The cook was cooking when I came on board. It smelled very good.’
Others have also been visiting them on the boat. said the Rev. Joshua Messick, executive director of the Baltimore International Seafarers Center, a nonprofit organization that provides support to seafarers in Baltimore. NPR that while all crew members on board are healthy, “they are trying to be very careful with the amount of information they give out.”
“They are being provided with everything they need and they are assisting in the efforts of the Coast Guard and Customs Border Protection, the Army Corps of Engineers and everyone who is working right now,” he added.
NTSB officials were seen climbing onto the wreckage of the ship last week.
NTSB officials interviewed Dali crew
NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy did not say when the Dali crew would be allowed to depart.
Messick also told the bbc that they were ‘uneasy’ and did not want to tell anyone what had happened.
“They don’t say much to anyone who has been in contact with them,” Mr. Messick said.
‘They didn’t have WiFi until Saturday and didn’t really know what the rest of the world’s perception was. They weren’t sure if they were being blamed or demonized. “They just didn’t know what to expect.”
And he added: ‘They are also in a very delicate situation. What they can say can be reflected in the company. I imagine they have been advised to keep a low profile for the moment.
Questions have been raised about how exactly the accident occurred and who should take responsibility.
C.B.S. reported that an unclassified memo from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said the ship reported losing power before crashing, and Maryland Governor Wes Moore backed the claim.
Eight construction workers were filling potholes on the bridge when the accident occurred.
Officials told the outlet that the crew tried unsuccessfully to restart the propulsion systems, before alerting. Maryland Department of Transportation and Maryland Transit Authority.
They said be alert It allowed local officials to stop traffic on the bridge and likely saved lives.
But the NTSB previously said it needs to conduct a full investigation before it can reach a conclusion about what exactly happened.
Chirag Bahri, director of international operations at the UK-based International Seafarers’ Assistance and Welfare Network, told the BBC that it may be months before sailors are allowed to return home.
“Maybe after a few weeks some of the young people can be repatriated home,” he said.
“But senior officials may still be required to complete the formal investigation and be kept in the United States.”
Debris is being removed from the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge as efforts begin to reopen the Port of Baltimore on Sunday.
Baltimore officials have announced they will build two temporary alternative channels for commercially essential vessels following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge last week.
For now, the crew has had to take shelter and get used to life on the ship.
Andrew Middleton, who heads the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Apostolate of the Sea, told the New York Times that the men now have access to television, magazines and books while aboard the ship.
As for the city of Baltimore, which is still recovering from the devastating bridge collapse, Maryland Governor Wes Moore said a temporary boat route has been opened near the bridge.
Officials said it will have a control depth of 11 feet, a horizontal clearance of 264 feet and a vertical clearance of 96 feet.
He said on Monday: “We need to work harder to clear the canal so we can move forward.”
Moore said there was an urgent need to remove debris from the collapse and said it was a dangerous task.
‘Every time we move a part of the structure, the situation could become even more dangerous. “We have to act quickly but we cannot be careless.”
MailOnline has contacted the Maryland Port Authority and the National Transportation Safety Board for comment.