by WorldTribune Staff, May 16, 2024 Contract With Our Readers
On March 26, the cargo ship Dali ran into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing the bridge to collapse.
Seven weeks later, on May 13, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers set off a series of controlled explosions to help free the Dali. The ship is set to be re-floated next week.
What most people don’t know is that, while the FBI and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) continue to investigate the incident, the Dali’s crew members, 20 of whom are Indian and one who is Sri Lankan, are still on board the vessel.
The FBI also confiscated the crew’s cell phones. They aren’t being given shore leave.
“They can’t do any online banking,” Joshua Messick, an official with the Baltimore International Seafarers’ Center, stated. “They can’t pay their bills at home. They don’t have any of their data or anyone’s contact information, so they’re really isolated right now.”
The British Independent reported that the crew has been issued new phones but without the data.
Addressing the House Transportation and Infrastructure committee hearing on May 15, National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said the amount of time the men have spent on the ship is “unprecedented”.
The possibility that the incident was not an accident have not been given significant media attention but has been taken seriously by national security analysts.
Related: Was loss of Francis Scott Key Bridge an attack? Closings of port, I-695 have consequences, March 27, 2024
Two maritime unions, both from Singapore, are lobbying to have the crew freed.
The unions said in a May 11 statement that “morale has understandably dipped” due to “unfounded fear of criminal liability” which is causing “emotional distress.”
This is compounded by “loss of communication” with family members due to their mobile devices being confiscated as part of the investigations, the unions added.
SMOU and SOS are calling for the crew’s phones to be returned and extensions for Maryland shore leave visas which are also proving an obstacle to their departure.
The unions are urging investigators to allow the expedited repatriation of members who are not required to stay for further questioning.
“While we cooperate fully with the investigation, recent actions have caused undue hardship for the crew,” said SMOU General Secretary Mary Liew who added: “The criminalization of seafarers based solely on their position on board a vessel during an incident is a growing concern.”
What is going on with the FBI and the Francis Scott Key Bridge disaster? Ship’s crew still on board added by Editor Two on
View all posts by Editor Two →