Monday, May 20, 2024

The Dali ship crew stays on board after hitting the Baltimore bridge

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Days after the Dali misplaced energy and hit the Francis Scott Key Bridge on Tuesday, the crew stays on the huge cargo ship caught in the course of Baltimore’s harbor. Right here’s what we all know concerning the individuals on board and their situation.

Who’re the individuals nonetheless on the ship?

There are 21 sailors on the Dali — 20 of whom are from India — mentioned Shri Randhir Jaiswal, a spokesman for the nation’s Ministry of International Affairs, on Thursday. About 316,000 Indians work as seafarers, almost 20 p.c of the worldwide whole, in response to knowledge printed by India’s Ministry of Ports, Delivery and Waterways. The 2 pilots are additionally nonetheless on the ship, a spokeswoman for the Key Bridge Joint Data Middle mentioned. That “unified command” is dealing with outreach for federal and state businesses concerned within the catastrophe, in addition to the corporate that manages the Dali.

Ship corporations typically look to India, in addition to the Philippines and Indonesia, for skilled seafarers who will work for decrease salaries than American or European crews. Corporations have additionally been shrinking their onboard workers at the same time as cargo ships develop in dimension, consultants say, as extra duties are automated.

“The primary ship I used to be on was 42 individuals — it’s actually minimize in half,” mentioned David Ledoux, a advisor and retired ship captain who began seafaring in 1984. That ship was a few third of the scale of the Dali as properly, he mentioned.

There are seven different ships within the harbor whose crews stay on board, the Rev. Joshua Messick advised USA At the moment. He mentioned his group, the Baltimore Worldwide Seafarers’ Middle, had visited every ship to see if anybody wanted to be transported to land.

Jaiswal mentioned one crew member was injured within the collision and needed to be taken off the ship to obtain stitches. Now, he mentioned, “All of them are in good condition, good well being.”

Andrew Middleton, the director of a ministry in Dundalk, Md., mentioned he had been in contact with members aboard the ship Friday morning. He mentioned that they had requested WiFi and new SIM playing cards to speak with household again house. Middleton’s Apostleship of the Sea is now coordinating with native ministries and corporations, and plans to ship a few of these objects Saturday.

Earlier than the crash, Middleton had taken among the crew members purchasing in Dundalk. He mentioned the boys had been ready for a month-long journey to Sri Lanka with meals and different necessities.

Nationwide Transportation Security Board Chair Jennifer Homendy advised reporters that when she boarded the ship Wednesday, a prepare dinner was within the kitchen, making a meal. “It smelled excellent, and I used to be very hungry,” she mentioned.

Will the crew be moved off the boat?

Not but, in response to the Key Bridge unified command. In an announcement Friday, authorities mentioned they “don’t have a plan for getting the crewmembers of the Dali off the vessel.” As a substitute, except security issues change, the crew “will most definitely disembark when the boat is moved or taken out of the water.”

At a information convention Friday, officers mentioned transferring the ship was a second precedence, after reopening the transport lane out and in of the Port of Baltimore. Ledoux mentioned transferring the ship would require a injury evaluation as soon as the bridge components are eliminated, together with divers checking for injury underwater, after which clearance from authorities to tug the boat.

Crews will want shore passes from U.S. Customs and Border Safety in the event that they go away the boat and are available ashore into the US, Middleton mentioned. A spokesperson for the bureau didn’t instantly return a request for touch upon whether or not all the Dali crew had been cleared to go on shore.

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