Dali Cargo Ship Moved, Crew Still On Board

India-West News Desk

BALTIMORE, MD – After 55 days stranded in the Patapsco River, the Dali cargo ship was hauled away from the site of its catastrophic crash into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, marking a crucial step toward fully reopening the busy Port of Baltimore. The 106,000-ton vessel began its journey at around 7 a.m. on May 20, assisted by several tugboats, CNN reported.

Federal authorities are still investigating the cause of the incident on March 26, which resulted in the deaths of six construction workers.

The preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board has cited two electrical failures minutes before the collision and two blackouts while the ship was in port the previous day, one of which was due to crew error. The FBI and Coast Guard are probing whether the crew failed to report the in-port power outage, according to a US official familiar with the matter.

The Dali’s 21-member crew has been confined to the ship since the crash and will likely remain on board for the foreseeable future, according to the ship’s management company.

Barbara Shipley, mid-Atlantic labor representative for the International Transport Workers’ Federation, told CNN there is no immediate plan for the 20 Indian and one Sri Lankan crew members following the Dali’s relocation on May 20.

The ship’s Singaporean owner, Grace Ocean Private Limited, and manager, Synergy Marine PTE LTD, have petitioned a federal court to limit potential liability payouts to $43.6 million. The city of Baltimore has requested the court deny this petition.

The removal of the Dali from the crash site means authorities can soon reopen more channels to and from the Port of Baltimore, a vital commerce hub for the sugar and automotive industries nationwide, CNN noted.