How 22-member Indian crew aboard 'Dali' averted major tragedy by alerting about Baltimore bridge collapse

New York: The entire 22-member crew of the cargo ship that struck a major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, causing it to snap and plunge into the river, are Indians who alerted authorities about a “power issue” before the collision.

The Singapore-flagged container ship "Dali" collided with one of the pillars of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore at approximately 1:30 am local time.

According to the vessel information provided by the Synergy Marine Group, the crew was “all Indian, 22 in total”.

The "Dali" has a capacity of 10,000 TEU and onboard Units: of 4,679 TEU.

Grace Ocean Private Ltd owns the vessel and the ship’s movement was outbound from Baltimore to Colombo.

Owners and managers of the Singapore-flagged container ship “Dali” report that the vessel collided with one of the pillars of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, Baltimore, whilst under pilotage with two pilots onboard, at approximately 01:30 local time on March 26, ship management company Synergy Marine Group said in a statement.

"All crew members, including the two pilots, have been accounted for and there are no reports of any injuries. There has also been no pollution," it said.

Whilst the exact cause of the incident is yet to be determined, the "Dali" has now mobilized its Qualified Individual Incident Response service.

The crew of the cargo ship alerted authorities about a “power issue” before the collision, Maryland Governor Wes Moore said, adding that this Mayday call enabled workers to stop more vehicular traffic from coming onto the bridge.

"We can confirm that the crew notified authorities of a power issue,” Moore told reporters.

Moore was asked whether the crew on the "Dali" ship alerted authorities about losing propulsion and was in trouble.

“Yes”, Moore replied when asked whether the crew had lost power on the ship.

Moore said the ship was coming in “at a very rapid speed”.

The ship lost power and rammed into the bridge, causing the span to buckle into the river below and plunging a construction crew and several vehicles into the dangerously cold waters.

"We do know that the investigation is currently going on. But I have to say I'm thankful for the folks who, once the warning came up and once notification came up that there was a Mayday, who literally by being able to stop cars from coming over the bridge. These people are heroes, they saved lives last night,” he said.

“We are thankful that between the Mayday and the collapse we had officials who were able to begin to stop the flow of traffic so more cars were not up on the bridge,” he said.

Moore added that the preliminary investigation “points to an accident. We haven't seen any credible evidence of a terrorist attack”.

Authorities have said that two people have been rescued and a search is on for six more persons.

The US Coast Guard and local officials have been notified, and the owners and managers are fully cooperating with Federal and State government agencies under an approved plan.

"We are horrified by what has happened in Baltimore, and our thoughts are with all of those affected," Maersk said in a statement.

"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," the statement said.

"We are closely following the investigations conducted by authorities and Synergy, and we will do our utmost to keep our customers informed," it said.

Governor Moore said that his office is in close communication with US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski, and the Baltimore Fire Department as emergency personnel are on the scene following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

Moore has declared a State of Emergency in Maryland and said: "We are working with an interagency team to quickly deploy federal resources from the Biden Administration.” “We will remain in close contact with federal, state, and local entities that are carrying out rescue efforts as we continue to assess and respond to this tragedy,” he said.

The Indian Embassy in Washington condoled the "unfortunate accident" after a cargo ship lost power and rammed into a major bridge in Baltimore on Tuesday, destroying the span in a matter of seconds and plunging it into the river in a terrifying collapse that could disrupt a vital shipping port for months. Six people were missing.

Baltimore's Key Bridge named after author of US national anthem:

Baltimore----a major American city just outside of Washington. Besides the famous name, the bridge was a major milestone in Maryland's transportation planning and remains the second longest continuous truss bridge in the United States.

The Key Bridge was a "major milestone" for the development of the Maryland highway system as it completed the Interstate 695 circuit around Baltimore. It was also a significant engineering accomplishment - and one of the longest continuous truss bridges in the US, according to Preservation Maryland.

Construction of the bridge, named after Francis Scott Key, began in August 1972. And, the lyrics of The Star Spangled Banner also have a Baltimore connection.

"On September 14, 1814, US soldiers at Baltimore's Fort McHenry raised a huge American flag to celebrate a crucial victory over British forces during the War of 1812.

The sight of those broad stripes and bright stars inspired Francis Scott Key to write a song that eventually became the United States national anthem." "Key's words gave new significance to a national symbol and started a tradition through which generations of Americans have invested the flag with their meanings and memories," according to the website of the National Museum of American History.

Key witnessed the twenty-five-hour bombardment of Fort McHenry from a British troopship anchored some four miles away, it said.

The southernmost transportation route across the Patapsco River, the Key Bridge, ran 1.6 miles and connected Sollers Point to Hawkins Point.

The continuous steel truss bridge was 185 high and spanned a distance of 1,200 feet. Including connecting approaches, the bridge was 10.9 miles long, according to the Preservation Maryland website.

Inputs from PTI