The Singapore-flagged vessel that collided with one of the pillars of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland, leading to its collapse on Tuesday, had an all-Indian crew of 22 members, the ship company said.
Synergy Maritime Group said that there were 22 Indians on board. They are said to be safe and secure
A few minutes before the Dali cargo ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge early Tuesday, the vessel had a “complete blackout” that knocked out power to the engine and navigation equipment, an industry official said.
The official, Clay Diamond, the executive director of the American Pilots Association, said Tuesday that he had been speaking regularly with the Association of Maryland Pilots and that the cause of the system failure was unclear. Though the ship’s backup generators had kicked on, restoring some power, the propulsion system remained offline.
As the vessel lost power, Mr. Diamond said, the pilot in command ordered that the ship be turned as much as possible to the left and that the port anchor be dropped to try to halt or slow the vessel’s drift toward the bridge. Mr. Diamond said that the pilot’s order protected people on the bridge who could have been affected by a collision.
“As soon as he lost power, he realized what could happen,” Mr. Diamond said. “He immediately asked that the bridge be closed to traffic.”
Mr. Diamond said that the pilot in command of the ship had more than 10 years of experience in the job. An apprentice training to be a pilot was also onboard.
The Singapore-flagged cargo ship Dali "lost propulsion" as it was leaving the Baltimore harbour and warned Maryland officials of a possible collision with the bridge, CBS News reported, citing an unclassified CISA bulletin.
The shipping company has said that the cause of the collision wasn't known but all crew members were accounted for.
However, Governor Moore has refuted any evidence of a 'terrorist attack' in the incident.
"We haven't seen any credible evidence of a terrorist attack," the New York Times quoted Moore as saying.
Earlier, following the incident, Maryland governor Wes Moore declared a state of emergency on Monday. The authorities confirmed on Tuesday that they believe only a construction crew of eight people, repairing potholes, and their vehicles were on the bridge at the time of the collision.
The repairs had "nothing to do with a structural issue at all on the facility," Maryland Secretary of Transportation Paul J Wiedefeld noted, The Hill reported.
The Maryland Governor said that the crew on the ship did issue a "mayday," alerting authorities that it had lost propulsion before the collision. Moore added that that information did allow traffic to be stopped from coming over the bridge, potentially saving even more from falling into the water.
But Moore, as well as Bill DelBagno, the newly named special agent in charge of the FBI's Baltimore Field Office, confirmed that "there is no specific or credible information to suggest that there are ties to terrorism in this incident."
The bridge, located south of Baltimore, spans more than 1.5 miles across the Patapsco River. It opened in March 1977, serving as a major connecting point, The Hill reported.
The Francis Scott Key Bridge, named for the writer of "The Star-Spangled Banner," has undergone various renovations over the years, but was "up to code," Governor Moore said Tuesday.
In 2023, more than 12.4 million vehicles crossed the Key Bridge, according to data collected by NewsNation. Daily, the bridge serves about 30,000 commuters, Moore added. (ANI)
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