 "Baltimore Bridge collapse: Why FBI has seized the cell phones of Indian crew members")
The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed on 26 March. After 49 days, a crew of Indian and Sri Lankan men are still stranded on the vessel. On Monday, demolition crews detonated explosives to push broken bridge trusses away from the grounded Dali container ship. But, even as the ship approaches freedom, the crew’s fate remains uncertain.
Investigators seized the phones of 21 crew members still onboard. The bodies of six construction workers who were fixing potholes on the bridge when it collapsed have been recovered from the water around them. Some are concerned they will be held personally liable for the disaster.
Here’s what’s going on.
Still onboard, cell phones seized
The FBI has seized the cell phones of the mostly Indian crew on board the crippled cargo ship in Baltimore as part of the investigation into the deadly bridge accident in the US city, a non-profit organisation in touch with the personnel said.
The 2.6-km-long, four-lane Francis Scott Key Bridge over the Patapsco River came crashing down on 26 March after the 984-foot ship ‘Dali’ collided against it. The crew on board Dali included 20 Indians and one Sri Lankan. The crew has been on the ship since the accident and has been cooperating with the investigation.
Executive Director of the Baltimore International Seafarers’ Centre the reverend Joshua Messick told PTI that he is working with all of the relevant organisations to make sure the crew has what they need and that their rights are being upheld. “They are well cared for with the sole exception that their cell phones were seized as part of the FBI’s investigation and have not been returned,” he said.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsMessick said he is in “contact with the crew to purchase some SIM cards for them and to plan trips ashore when they are able to have shore leave”. The Baltimore International Seafarers’ Centre is a non-profit organisation serving seafarers that call on the Port of Baltimore from all over the world. The mission of the organisation is to “facilitate the well-being of crew members by offering transportation ashore,” according to information on its website.
When will they be able to go home
“Everybody is trying to make the best out of a tragic situation,” Nestlehutt stated. “At that point, the only real question for the seafarers is when they might be able to go home,” he told the Associated Press.
Also Read: Baltimore bridge collapse: What caused the accident?
Food hasn’t been a concern. The Dali is well-stocked for the expected long voyage, and additional food has been brought onboard, according to Darrell Wilson, a spokesperson for Synergy Marine, the Dali’s Singapore-based management company.
Crew members have remained busy, concentrating on the numerous responsibilities of operating a large cargo vessel. They have also helped with the ongoing federal investigation into the crash and salvage operations on the collapsed bridge.
They’ve had visits from unions and religious groups. Nestlehutt stated that the majority of the crew is Hindu, but there are also Muslim and Christian members too. Bishop Adam J Parker of the Baltimore Archdiocese visited the ship in early May and celebrated mass with three Roman Catholic crew members in a small office, according to Andrew Middleton, director of the archdiocese’s Apostleship of the Sea.
Middleton said they also distributed care packages, including one from a stranger in Minnesota, which contained candy, socks, and puzzles, among other things.
Investigation underway
Last month, US authorities 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.
Also Read: How Baltimore bridge collapse has spawned various conspiracy theories
The Washington Post had said that the FBI opened the criminal investigation “focusing on the massive container ship that brought down the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore last month — a probe that will look at least in part at whether the crew left the port knowing the vessel had serious systems problems”.
The Key Bridge Response Unified Command is scheduled to use precision cuts made with small charges to remove a large section of the Francis Scott Key Bridge wreckage from on top of the Dali.
The Key Bridge Response Unified Command said in a statement that the safest and swiftest method to remove the bridge piece from on top of the Dali is by “precision cuts made with small charges. This is an industry-standard tool in controlled demolition that will break the span into smaller pieces, which will allow the work of refloating the vessel and removing it from the federal channel”.
Authorities said the small charges, a standard controlled demolition tool, will split the large section of truss at specific locations to create multiple, smaller sections, which allows salvors to use cranes and barges already on scene to remove these sections of the bridge and ultimately remove the Dali from the channel.
“We remain focused on restoring the Marine Transportation System, while ensuring the protection of the public and the environment,” said Capt David O’Connell, Key Bridge Response Federal On-Scene Coordinator. “cuts, we reduce risks to our personnel and can safely and efficiently continue clearing the channel for the Port of Baltimore,” he said.
Also Read: How the Baltimore bridge collapse may hurt the US and even India
The Singapore-flagged Dali is owned by Grace Ocean Pte Ltd and managed by Synergy Marine Group. In the days following the accident, US authorities had begun interviewing personnel, including the Indian crew members, on board Dali.
What next
The Dali is currently scheduled to be refloated during high tide on Tuesday, officials announced over the weekend. They said several tugboats will be used to guide the ship to a nearby terminal in the Port of Baltimore, where it will most likely spend a few weeks undergoing temporary repairs before being moved to a shipyard for more extensive repairs.
Also Read: Explained: The long list of US bridge collapses caused by ships and barges
Wilson stated that the men will remain on the ship “for the foreseeable future” while the investigation into the crash continues.
“Nobody knows that ship better than the crew,” he said. “So, they are instrumental in helping with the salvage operation as well as the investigation process.”
Nestlehutt said 1.6 million people work as seafarers on cargo vessels — an invisible workforce.
“This is maybe a chance to appreciate what seafarers do for us day-in and day-out,” he said. “To make sure that we have the things that we order from Amazon and the cars that we want to drive and the things we want to put on our table.”
With inputs from PTI and AP
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