Back in March, when the container ship Dali lost propulsion and crashed into the Francis Scott Key bridge, it prompted plenty of questions. Can the boat be freed? Who pays to fix or replace the bridge? Is Woke to blame for this? Coming on two months since the crash, though, it seems there’s a new question: Will the crew of the Dali ever be allowed to leave?
All 21 members of the Dali’s crew have been stuck on the ship since it hit the Francis Scott Key bridge. The issue, according to Futurism, is one of international visas — the Indian and Sri Lankan folks aboard don’t have the proper approvals to set foot on U.S. soil:
Last month, [Baltimore International Seafarers’ Center executive director Joshua] Messick told Futurism last month that the crew was still aboard because the Dali is “still considered a working vessel” and, moreover, the Indian and Sri Lankan sailors lack the visa status to come ashore on US ground.
Worse still, the crew of the Dali has no contact with folks back home — their cell phones were confiscated by the FBI as part of a criminal investigation into the bridge collapse. WBAL TV in Baltimore spoke with a representative from the Seaman’s Church Institute, who visited the crew on the ship:
The Dali’s crew members — 20 from India and one from Sri Lanka — have remained on board the ship to answer questions from FBI and National Transportation Safety Board investigators, as well as perform necessary ship operations.
[Seaman’s Church Institute executive director Mark] Nestlehutt told 11 News Investigates that the FBI had confiscated the crew members’ phones, computers, and other electronic devices. He said the nonprofit is now trying to work with the FBI to get the phones returned to the crew because some members are having trouble accessing their bank accounts to pay bills back home without their devices.
Even if the Dali’s crew is acquitted of any wrongdoing, they still may face massive penalties from this crash — late payment notices, interest on bills, and other issues stemming from their isolation aboard the ship. If only they hadn’t been so woke, they may have already been reunited with their families.