The cargo ship that crashed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, triggering a horror collapse that killed six construction workers, will be removed from the Patapsco River within a matter of days, according to Maryland Governor Wes Moore.
Mr Moore told Meet the Press anchor Kristin Welker that, almost two months on from the tragedy, officials are on track to reopening the channel and moving the Dali ship out.
“I’m proud that we’re on track, that by the end of May we’ll have that federal channel reopened,” he said.
“And within days, we’re going to have that massive vessel, the Dali, out of that federal channel.”
Mr Moore noted the original estimate for extracting the ship was six to nine months.
The Dali has been stuck in the Patapsco River since 26 March, when it lost power and crashed into the bridge.
Seven construction workers were thrown from the bridge into the water, with one managing to escape from the water soon afterwards. The six others died.
Since then, all 21 crew members of the ship have been trapped on board the vessel, cut off from the rest of the world with no access to their cellphones.
Darrell Wilson, a spokesperson for Synergy Marine Group, which manages the Dali ship, previously told The Independent that the FBI had confiscated the crew members’ phones while they investigated the crash.
The crew is made of 20 men from India and one from Sri Lanka. They have since been supplied with new phones to stay in touch with their families as they approach two months on board the vessel.
Gwee Guo Dua, a representative of the Singapore Maritime Officers Union, said many crew members’ visas have expired since the crash.
The organization is requesting that the men be granted shore leave and that the FBI return the men’s phones as soon as possible.
He said that the probe has led to a declining morale among the crew members.
“For the crew, their mobile devices are their only means of communicating with their loved ones or handling their personal business, half a world away,” a statement released by the union read.
Mr Wilson said that Synergy Marine Group has representatives on site who are in constant contact with the men, ensuring they have supplies.
“I am not sure about shore passes. The ship was headed on a long voyage and had plenty of supplies on board,” he told The Independent.
National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said the amount of time the men have spent on the ship is “unprecedented”.
