After 12 weeks stuck aboard a cargo ship that lost power and crushed a famed Baltimore bridge, some of the vessel’s 21 crew members could soon return to their families halfway around the world.
Attorneys for the City of Baltimore and the owner and manager of the Dali cargo ship reached a deal late Wednesday that could allow eight of the crew members to fly home as early as Thursday, according to documents filed this week in Maryland’s US District Court.
The 20 Indians and one Sri Lankan on board have been stuck on the ship since March 26, when the mammoth vessel lost propulsion, veered off course and destroyed the Francis Scott Key Bridge, killing six construction workers.
Crew members haven’t been able to get off the ship for a variety of reasons. While none of the crew have been charged in connection with the disaster, investigations are underway to determine who might be responsible for the catastrophe. And Baltimore’s mayor has announced legal action, vowing to “hold the wrongdoers responsible.”
I had no idea they were still on the ship.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/18/us/baltimore-bridge-dali-ship-crew/index.html
TLDR: the ship has minimum staffing requirements, even when stationary, the crews visas expired while they were trapped, the investigation is ongoing and the FBI took their cell phones.
And Baltimore attorneys don’t want any of the crew to leave the country until the investigation is over, which may take two years.
So that Grace Ocean can threaten them directly not to talk rather than just their families, I’m guessing.
