Baltimore tragedy: When will 21 crew members get off board?

The Port of Baltimore partially reopened on Monday, creating a temporary channel to release some trapped tugs and barges following last week’s tragic bridge collapse. Despite this progress the Dali crew has been stranded for a week now. According to a PTI report they are expected to be onboard until the probe complese.

Journalists, members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and crew members of the Survey Vessel Catlett survey the damage done to the cargo ship Dali one week after it collided with and destroyed the Francis Scott Key Bridge on April 02, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Getty Images via AFP)

When will Dali’s Indian crew get off board?

The report states, they are “busy with their normal duties” and will remain on board until the investigation into the accident is completed.

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“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.” Grace Ocean Pte and Synergy Marine Spokesperson told PTI. The investigators boarded the vessel on Wednesday and collected documents, voyage data recorder extracts, and other evidence as part of their investigation.

The shipping channel has been obstructed since a fully loaded container ship lost power and collided with a support column of the Francis Scott Key Bridge last Tuesday. The incident resulted in the deaths of six road workers and caused the bridge to collapse into the Patapsco River.

Also Read: The Crew members are healthy

Challenges faced to clear the cargo vessel

The immediate challenge facing the recovery team is freeing the cargo vessel Dali. The Dali is trapped under steel bridge debris with 4,000 containers and a 21-member crew stranded aboard since the accident.

“We’re talking about something that is almost the size of the Statue of Liberty. The scale of this project, to be clear, is enormous. And even the smallest tasks are huge,” Governor Wes Moore emphasized

Also Read: Baltimore bridge collapse a ‘national economic catastrophe’, says Maryland Governor

The recovery efforts are more complex than initially anticipated. The twisted steel is obscured by murky waters darkened by the volume of debris. Officials have not provided an estimated timeline for clearing the harbour.

Limited ship traffic resumed on Monday after recovery teams opened a temporary channel with a controlling depth of 11 feet (3.35 meters) on the northbound side of the wreckage. Governor Moore announced that a second temporary channel on the southbound side, with a depth of 15 to 16 feet (4.6 to 4.9 meters), would open “in the coming days.”

Also Read: https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/temporary-channel-opened-in-baltimore-harbor-to-aid-bridge-response-101711998315836.html

Governor Moore announced that a second temporary channel on the southbound side, with a depth of 15 to 16 feet (4.6 to 4.9 meters), would open “in the coming days.” Once the debris is cleared, a third channel with a depth of 20 to 25 feet (6.1 to 7.6 meters) will allow almost all tug and barge traffic in and out of the port.

U.S. President Joe Biden is scheduled to visit Baltimore on Friday to assess the recovery efforts firsthand, according to White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre. The Biden administration has played an active role in the recovery, securing barges and a crane, providing early financial assistance, and working with Congress to ensure federal funding for the bridge reconstruction.