1 year after Key Bridge collapse, some Dali crew members are still in Baltimore
Eleven crew members of the Dali, the ship that crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing it to collapse a year ago, remain in Baltimore, our media partner The Baltimore Banner reports.
Those seafarers were requested to stay while investigators continued to review the collision which killed six construction workers and blocked the passageway to the Port of Baltimore for weeks.
The Dali was freed from the collapsed wreckage and returned to the port nearly two months after the crash. The 948-foot vessel left for Norfolk, Virginia, in June 2024, to undergo more repairs before leaving for China in September.
However, 11 higher-ranking crew members were told to stay in Baltimore until the legal process was complete, while 10 of the lower-ranking crew members were released to return home.
Ten of the crew members still in Baltimore are from India, and one is from Sri Lanka.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says it will release its full report in the fall.
What have the crews been doing?
According to the Banner, the seafarers in limbo have watched cricket matches on livestream, learned how to cook meals in their extended-stay hotels, and went on the occasional tourism outing, attending an Orioles game and wandering the National Mall in Washington.
Synergy Marine, which owns the Dali, is paying the crews their salaries, in addition to living expenses, including meals, according to the Banner. The age range of the seafarers is between 20s to their 50s.
Organizations helping Dali crew
According to the Banner, the seafarers have been supported locally by two faith-based organizations that serve the Port of Baltimore.
Josh Messick, director of the Baltimore International Seafarers' Center, and Andrew Middleton, director of the Apostleship of the Sea, have coordinated grocery runs, driven them to religious services and organized social outings, the Banner reports.
WJZ spoke with Middleton, from Apostleship of the Sea, which is tied to the Archdiocese of Baltimore, in August 2024. At the time, Middleton said his organization wouldn't stop helping them until all of the crew left.
"The incident itself has moved into the past for so many people that, I guess, a lot of people don't even think about it now," Middleton said. "We don't want [the crew] to feel they're in the past as well."
Investigation of the Dali
The NTSB says the Dali lost power at least four times within 12 hours before leaving the Port of Baltimore and crashing into the Key Bridge around 1:29 a.m. on March 26, 2024.
Two of the power failures occurred immediately before the collision, causing the ship to lose propulsion and steering control, according to the NTSB report
Six construction workers died after they were knocked into the Patapsco River and the port was devastated with vessel traffic being halted for weeks.
The Port of Baltimore, which suffered millions of dollars in economic losses, did not fully reopen for 11 weeks.
Lawsuits filed
The owners and operators of the Dali were inundated by lawsuits from the victims' families, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, and numerous businesses.
The State of Maryland also filed lawsuits, accusing Grace Ocean Private Limited, the Singaporean company that owns the cargo ship, and Synergy Marine Group, the manager of the ship, of failing to take the precautions necessary to prevent the collapse.
The Dali's owners settled and agreed to pay $101,980,000 to the federal government in a deal with the Department of Justice.
The DOJ alleged the Dali was "unseaworthy" and called the owners' conduct "outrageous, grossly negligent, willful, wanton, and reckless."
