Dali container ship crew still on board 50 days after Baltimore bridge collision

Credit: AP

The crew of a grounded container ship that collided with a bridge in Baltimore are still on board some 50 days after the incident.

Six construction workers died when the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after the 948ft Dali vessel crashed into it in March.

The ship has remained at the scene since the incident on March 26, and has been covered in debris and scrap metal from the bridge ever since the collision.

The 21 crew who remain on board have had their phones seized as a federal investigation continues.

Work is underway to free the grounded ship using explosive charges to blast broken bridge pieces away. Officials expect to refloat the ship within the next few days and restore traffic through the port.

Tugboats will guide it to a nearby terminal at the port where it is likely to remain for several weeks and undergo temporary repairs before being moved to a shipyard for more substantial repairs.

The bodies of the six construction workers who were fixing potholes on the bridge when it collapsed have been pulled from the water.

Explosive charges are detonated to bring down sections of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge resting on the container ship Dali. Credit: AP.

The last of the victims’ bodies was recovered last week.

One member of the seven-person roadwork crew survived the collapse by freeing himself from his work truck.

He was rescued from the water later that morning. A road maintenance inspector also survived by running to safety in the moments before the bridge fell.

The ship is expected to be refloated and guided back to the Port of Baltimore in the coming days.

It arrived in the US from Singapore on March 19, a week before the crash, according to the report.

It made stops in Newark, New Jersey, and Norfolk, Virginia, before coming to Baltimore.

Investigators said they were not aware of any other power outages occurring in those ports.

They said they’re working with Hyundai, the manufacturer of the ship’s electrical system, to “identify the cause(s) of the breakers unexpectedly opening while approaching the Key Bridge and the subsequent blackouts.”

The board’s preliminary report likely includes a fraction of the findings that will be presented in its final report, which is expected to take more than a year.

The FBI has also launched a criminal investigation into the circumstances leading up to the collapse.


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