Mumbai:

Ship management firm Synergy Marine and Grace Ocean, owner of the Singapore-flagged cargo ship with 22 Indian crew members that collided with a US bridge in March, have reached an “agreement” with the US government on cost payment, while rejecting liability for the incident.

Container ship ‘DALI’, with an all-Indian crew of 22 members onboard, had collided with one of the pillars of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore in March this year. The crew had issued a mayday call before the collision that led to the collapse of bridge, prompting authorities to limit traffic movement.

“We confirm that Grace Ocean and Synergy have reached an agreement with the United States regarding the payment of those costs, which are fully insured,” Synergy Marine Group said in a statement on Friday.

“The settlement strictly covers costs related to clearing the channel, which we would have been responsible for in any case, and is not indicative of any liability, which we expressly reject for the incident that led to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge,” it stated.

According to the statement, Grace Ocean and Synergy are prepared to vigorously defend themselves in the limitation of liability proceedings pending before the Federal Court in Baltimore and to establish that they were not responsible for the incident.

Synergy Marine Group also said “no punitive damages have been imposed as part of the settlement”.

“In accordance with the settlement, the United States has dismissed its claim,” it said.

In the incident, the cargo ship outbound from Baltimore to Colombo, rammed into one of the pillars of the bridge, while under pilotage with two pilots onboard. Shortly after the collision, the bridge collapsed, crashing on the cargo ship.

Following the disembarkation of crew members from the vessel, Synergy Marine and Grace Ocean have put measures in place to support their well-being, the company said and added the 11 crew members who disembarked in Baltimore and Norfolk in June 2024 are accommodated in serviced apartments in Baltimore.

One crew member was granted approval by the US government to return to India for a family ceremony. The US government further granted an extension to this crew member, who is expected to return to the US in mid-November, to further assist with the ongoing investigation, Synergy Marine said.

Besides, two other crew members who were granted approvals by the US government to return to India for family reasons have joined their colleagues in the US, the company said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Washington:

Eight Indian crew members of the cargo ship ‘Dali’ that crashed into a famed Baltimore bridge in March left for India on Friday after nearly three months on the mammoth vessel.

According to Baltimore Maritime Exchange, four of the 21 crew members are still on board the 984-foot cargo ship MV Dali, which is tentatively scheduled to leave Friday evening for Norfolk, Virginia.

The rest of the crew has been moved to a service apartment in Baltimore and will remain there pending an investigation.

Notably, 20 of the crew members were Indian nationals. They were on board the MV Dali Cargo, which struck the pillars of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge resulting in its collapse and the death of six construction workers in the tragic incident.

Dali will undergo repair at Norfolk.

The departure of eight Indian crew members including a cook, a fitter and seamen follows a deal approved by the judge. None of these are officers. The rest 13 would remain in the US, mainly because of the pending investigations.

“They’re anxious, under considerable stress considering they don’t know the future. They don’t know when they’ll see their family again or how they’ll be treated here,” Rev. Joshua Messick, director of the Baltimore International Seafarers’ Center and chaplain for the Port of Baltimore told CNN.

None of the crew members have been charged in connection with the disaster. FBI and other federal agencies are conducting the investigations.

The 2.6km-long, four-lane Francis Scott Key Bridge over the Patapsco River in Baltimore, came crashing down after Dali collided against it on March 26.

The vessel is owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd and was outbound from Baltimore to Colombo and has a capacity of 10,000 TEU, with onboard units totalling 4,679 TEU. The vessel’s deadweight is 116,851 DWT.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New York:

The crew of 20 Indians and a Sri Lankan of the container vessel that collided with a key Baltimore bridge last week is “busy with their normal duties” and will remain on board until the investigation into the accident is completed.

“It is confirmed there are 21 crew members on board. The crew members are busy with their normal duties on the ship as well as assisting the National Transportation Safety Board and Coast Guard investigators on board,” a spokesperson of Grace Ocean Pte and Synergy Marine told PTI.

The crew is on board the container vessel Dali that collided with the 2.6-km-long four-lane Francis Scott Key Bridge over the Patapsco River in Baltimore in the early hours of March 26. The 984-foot cargo ship was bound for Colombo, Sri Lanka.

On how long the crew would have to stay on board the ship, the spokesperson said, “At this time, we do not know how long the investigation process will take and until that process is complete, the crew will remain on board.” The Singapore-flagged Dali is owned by Grace Ocean Pte Ltd and managed by the Synergy Marine Group. Earlier, the non-profit organisation Baltimore International Seafarers’ Center had said that the Indian crew on board the container vessel was “healthy”.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in Delhi earlier said that there were 20 Indians on board Dali and the Indian embassy in Washington was in close touch with them and local authorities.

Last week, US authorities began interviewing personnel on board Dali. The Synergy Group had said in a statement that the NTSB boarded the vessel on Wednesday and collected documents, voyage data recorder extracts, and other evidence as part of their investigation.

Grace Ocean and Synergy has confirmed the safety of all crew members and two pilots aboard the vessel. They, however, reported one minor injury and said the injured crew member has been treated and discharged from a hospital.

Six people, who were part of a construction crew repairing potholes on the bridge when the collision occurred, are presumed dead. Divers recovered the bodies of two of the construction workers from a red pickup truck found submerged in the river and a search was on for the remaining four victims.

US President Joe Biden said that the crew on board Dali had alerted transportation personnel about losing control of the vessel, enabling authorities to close the Baltimore bridge to traffic before the devastating collision, “undoubtedly” saving lives. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

A view of the Dali cargo vessel, which crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge causing it to collapse in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S., on March 26, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

The entire 22-member crew of the cargo ship that struck a major bridge in Baltimore early on March 26, causing it to snap and plunge into the river below are Indians, the company said.

The Singapore-flagged container ship “Dali” collided with one of the pillars of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore at approximately 1:30 am local time.

According to the vessel information provided by the Synergy Marine Group, the crew was “All Indian, 22 in total”.

The operators of a cargo ship lost power and issued a mayday call moments before slamming into a Baltimore bridge, enabling authorities to limit vehicle traffic on the span, the Maryland governor said.

The container ship rammed into the major bridge caused it to snap and plunge into the river below. Several vehicles fell into the chilly waters, and rescuers searched for survivors.

It was also not clear what caused the cargo ship to crash into the Francis Scott Key Bridge long before the busy morning commute in what one official called a “developing mass casualty event” in a major American city just outside of Washington.

The “Dali” has a capacity of 10,000 TEU and onboard Units: of 4,679 TEU.

Grace Ocean Private Ltd owns the vessel and the ship’s movement was outbound from Baltimore to Colombo.

Owners and managers of the Singapore-flagged container ship “DALI” report that the vessel collided with one of the pillars of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, Baltimore, whilst under pilotage with two pilots onboard, at approximately 01:30 local time on March 26, ship management company Synergy Marine Group said in a statement.

It said: “All crew members, including the two pilots, have been accounted for and there are no reports of any injuries. There has also been no pollution.” Whilst the exact cause of the incident is yet to be determined, the “DALI” has now mobilised its Qualified Individual Incident Response service.

The U.S. Coast Guard and local officials have been notified, and the owners and managers are fully cooperating with Federal and State government agencies under an approved plan.

“We are horrified by what has happened in Baltimore, and our thoughts are with all of those affected,” Maersk said in a statement.

“We can confirm that the container vessel ‘DALI’, operated by charter vessel company Synergy Group, is time chartered by Maersk and is carrying Maersk customers’ cargo. No Maersk crew and personnel were onboard the vessel,” the statement said.

“We are closely following the investigations conducted by authorities and Synergy, and we will do our utmost to keep our customers informed,” it said.

It was unclear what caused the cargo ship to crash into the bridge in the major American city just outside of Washington.

It was also not clear how many people might be in the water.