New Delhi: The Singapore-flagged container ship Dali which rammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in US Baltimore was entirely operated by an Indian crew, as confirmed by the shipping company Maersk. Wednesday, US President Joe Biden lauded the prompt action by the Indian crew saving many more lives.
The ship crew members were very prompt in alerting the Maryland Department of Transportation as soon as they lost control of the vessel helping the local authorities to close the bridge to traffic before a catastrophic event. The action “undoubtedly” saved lives, said President Biden.
Maryland’s governor said, “We’re thankful that between the Mayday and the collapse we had officials who were able to begin to stop the flow of traffic.” “These people are heroes. They saved lives last night,” he added.
As per reports, heading towards Srilanka, the ship Dali crashed into one of the legs of the bridge at approximately 1:30 am local time (11 am IST) on Tuesday. The 2.5-kilometer, 50-year-old bridge collapsed in just 30 seconds. Several vehicles and 20 people are believed to have fallen into the Patapsco River. Two people have been rescued and one among them is critical. But all the 22 crew members of Dali are safe.
“We are horrified by what has happened in Baltimore, and our thoughts are with all of those affected… 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,” ship company Maersk said in its statement.
