Seven weeks after the deadly Baltimore disaster killed six people and destroyed a key US river crossing, all crew members of the ship that crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in the state of Maryland are still stuck on board the vessel, cut off from the rest of the world.
The 2.6-km-long four-lane bridge over the Patapsco River came crashing down on March 26 after the 984-foot ship ‘Dali’ collided with it. The crew on board the Dali included 20 Indians and one Sri Lankan. The crew has been on the ship since the accident and has been cooperating with the probe.
The FBI had confiscated the phones of crew members including during the investigation into the crash. The crew have since been supplied with new phones which they are able to use to stay in contact with their families, Darrell Wilson, a spokesperson for Synergy Marine Group, which manages the Dali ship, told a UK media outlet.
This report comes as US crews in Baltimore set off controlled explosions on Monday to allow them to remove a portion of the bridge from the bow of the Dali. This will allow salvage crews to haul away the twisted metal wreckage using cranes and barges, the US Army Corps of Engineers said. Meanwhile, the US Coast Guard is said to be evaluating whether other bridges nationwide.
Coast Guard Vice Admiral Peter Gautier said at a US House hearing on Wednesday that the “size and complexity of ships has grown over the years, placing greater demands on our marine transportation infrastructure that may not have kept pace with the increased risks that these vessels pose.” Gautier is convening a nationwide board of inquiry that will assess current risk management tools and propose actions to “reduce the risks of major incidents.”
Last month, the FBI opened a criminal investigation into the Baltimore bridge collapse incident that killed six construction crew workers, who were repairing potholes on the bridge when the collision occurred. Maryland estimates it will cost $1.7 billion to $1.9 billion to rebuild the bridge and anticipates completion by fall 2028.
According to congressional testimony Wednesday, the electrical blackouts experienced by the container ship Dali before it left Baltimore’s port were “mechanically distinct from” those that resulted in the deadly collapse of the Francis Scott bridge hours later. “Two were related to routine maintenance in port. Two were unexpected tripping of circuit breakers on the accident voyage,” National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy testified.
The Dali was headed to Sri Lanka, laden with shipping containers and enough supplies for a monthlong voyage. Shortly after leaving the Port of Baltimore early on March 26, the ship lost power and propulsion and crashed into one of the bridge’s supporting columns, killing six construction workers. Homendy’s remarks came the day after the safety board released its preliminary report into the bridge collapse. The full investigation could take a year.
(With agency inputs)
Comments
0 comment