On March 26, the cargo ship ploughed into the Baltimore bridge. On Monday, the ship was finally freed from the shackles of wreckage. But 21 crew members remain trapped on board—forbidden to step off the vessel. Worse, no one knows when they’ll be freed to go home.
Remind me about Dali…
The accident: On March 26, the 985-foot-long cargo ship was on its way to Sri Lanka, carrying 4,700 shipping containers. Just as it was leaving the Baltimore port, it lost power and struck the Key Bridge. The bridge collapsed—killing six construction workers who were on it, at the time.
The crew: The 21-person crew was made up of 20 Indians and 1 Sri Lankan. Soon after the accident, there was a lot of gratitude toward the sailors. When the ship suffered a blackout, they sent out an immediate mayday alert—saving many lives.
Something to see: You can see the ship trapped in the wreckage below:
And they just freed the ship?
Yes, the process of clearing the debris was slow and cautious. As the Maryland Governor Wes Moore described it: “We’re talking about a massive piece of steel — and on one end, the steel is leaning against a vessel that is the size of the Eiffel Tower.” Crews began cutting and removing the first pieces of the bridge a week after the collision. The first priority was not to free the ship—but clear the passage to the port.
Big point to note: At the time, the governor laid out his “four directives”:
- Continue to prioritize recovery for the families
- Clear channel and open vessel traffic to the port
- Take care of everyone affected by this crisis
- Rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge
There was zero mention of the crew—as you can see in this clip.
Rescuing Dali: Having cleared parts of the bridge in the water, the effort finally focused on freeing the ship. On Monday, the Dali was towed—with the help of five tugboats—and taken back to the port. But the first step was setting off a series of explosions to break apart the sections of the bridge that were pinning the ship down.
Key point to note: The crew was kept on board during the explosions—but workers were not allowed anywhere close to the ship:
William Marks, a spokesperson for the crew, said they would shelter “in a designated safe place” during the demolition. “All precautions are being taken to ensure everyone’s safety,” he said in an email. Officials said the demolition is the safest and most efficient way to remove steel under a high level of pressure and tension. “It’s unsafe for the workers to be on or in the immediate vicinity of the bridge truss for those final cuts,” officials said in a news release Sunday.
Where we are now: The ship will be cleaned of other debris at the Baltimore port. It is expected to remain there between four to six weeks—and then head out to Norfolk for more extensive repairs. But there is no clarity as to what will happen to the crew.
How is the crew doing? They’ve been stuck there for…
Seven long weeks! Well, news of their condition is coloured by the sources who spoke to the reporter. For example, let’s take BBC News—which quotes the spokesperson for the company which manages Dali—Synergy Marine. He is quite upbeat::
"All are in good health and are holding up well," Mr Wilson said, adding that 24-hour counselling services have been made available. Pre-prepared Indian food is also being delivered regularly to give the cooks on board a rest.
"The crew are keeping busy with their normal duties on board, as well as assisting with the investigation and the ongoing salvage work. Nobody knows the vessel better than they do, hence their integral role in the future movement of the Dali," he added.
BBC News also quotes “union officials”—presumably local: “Union officials said earlier this month that ‘morale has understandably dipped’ on board the ship”—whatever that means.
But, but, but: The Times of India paints a very different picture—because they actually spoke to a sailor: “Life is tough. We don’t have access to proper food, water, or medical supplies. The situation is getting worse every day.” And no, they do not feel they’re being taken care of:
Despite efforts to secure assistance, the response has been sluggish, compounding the crew's struggles.The lack of immediate aid has left the sailors feeling isolated and abandoned. Another sailor shared the emotional toll of their situation: “We are trying to stay hopeful, but it’s hard. We need help soon.” The prolonged uncertainty and harsh living conditions have taken a significant toll on the crew's morale and well-being. The sailors are confined to the ship with limited communication with the outside world, adding to their sense of isolation.
No freedom, no phones: The FBI initially snatched the phones of the crew—as part of the investigation. So they spent weeks not being able to get in touch with their families—or anyone on shore. The most devastating: they couldn’t pay household bills or send money home without their phones.
After protests from the unions, the men were given phones, but, but, but:
Wilson said the phones have been replaced with new ones, and Synergy Marine said in a statement in early April that the crew had unlimited use of the ship’s satellite communications to stay in touch with family. But Nestlehutt and unions say the new phones lack the important personal information that's on the old phones, such as contacts, family photos and banking apps for transferring money back home to their families.
Beyond ensuring the sailors have food, US authorities seem to have given no thought to their welfare—even though they are innocent of any wrongdoing.
But why aren’t they letting the crew go?
One: Let’s start with why they cannot even step offshore. Their one-month US visas expired while they were trapped on board—during the initial investigation.
Two: A crew is required to maintain a ship—even if it’s stationary. Both US and international laws have minimum “manning requirements” so that:
[A] ship is sufficiently, effectively and efficiently manned to provide safety and security of the ship, safe navigation and operations at sea, safe operations in port, prevention of human injury or loss of life, the avoidance of damage to the marine environment and to property, and to ensure the welfare and health of seafarers through the avoidance of fatigue.
So there’s no question of leaving Dali without a crew to maintain it—at least until the investigators indicate otherwise.
Three: Their employers—Synergy Marine Group—seem to be in no hurry to rescue its crew—or bring in replacements:
“They’re going to be on for the foreseeable future,” [spokesperson Darrell] Wilson told CNN Wednesday. “We’re working to refloat the vessel in a few days and move it to a local terminal here. And then at some point in the future – and I don’t have that date – the company will look for guidance from the authorities on the next steps with the crew.”
As Wilson told the Washington Post: “[The ship’s] not out at sea, but it’s still a … living piece of equipment. It still needs to be looked after and cared for.” We recommend reading that again.
Four: Their situation is unlikely to improve since early reports of the investigation have flagged actions taken by the crew:
The early findings of a safety investigation released last week revealed that the Dali suffered multiple power outages before the collision. An error by a crew member caused an initial “in-port blackout” and a second loss of power in port “was related to insufficient fuel pressure”, it said.
But the final report from the National Transportation Safety Board is expected to take a year, while a separate FBI investigation is looking into whether the ship’s crew knew it had serious systems problems when it left the port.
Specifically, the NTSB report said the following:
The Dali experienced two electrical blackouts about 10 hours before leaving the Port of Baltimore on its way to Sri Lanka. The crew later made changes to the ship's electrical configuration, switching to a transformer and breaker system that had previously been out of use for several months.
None of that bodes well for the sailors—who are already terrified they will become scapegoats for the accident.
The bottomline: None of the investigations will produce conclusive findings for at least a year—perhaps two. To keep the sailors trapped on the ship merely due to suspicion—or convenience—is a travesty of justice. Perhaps Mr Jaishankar can exert his efforts in their direction—as he did with the higher ranking ex-Navy officers convicted of spying in Qatar. These guys haven’t even been found guilty.
Reading list
ABC Australia and CBS News are best on the refloating of Dali. CNN is best on the state of the crew—while Times of India has more direct quotes from sailors. For a more upbeat take, read BBC News. The Washington Post has an exhausting amount of detail on the explosions that freed the ship. We highly recommend reading our previous Big Story on sailors who work as modern-day slaves on cargo ships—most of whom are Indian.
