The majority of the crew will eventually depart the damaged ship, the Dali, as it prepares to depart Baltimore bridge after being stranded there for months.

TFD – Twelve weeks after the Dali cargo ship crashed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, the massive vessel is set to depart for repairs with only a handful of crew members on board. The incident, which resulted in six construction worker deaths, has left the crew in limbo as legal and investigative processes unfold.

Twelve weeks after the Dali cargo ship lost power and crashed into a famed Baltimore bridge, the mammoth vessel will soon leave for repairs – with only a handful of crew on board.

Six construction workers were killed when the 984-foot ship lost propulsion, swerved off course, and smashed the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26. The 20 Indians and one Sri Lankan on board are stuck on the ship. Several factors have prevented them from leaving.

However, an agreement that would have allowed eight of the crew members to return home as early as this week was authorized by the judge during a Thursday court hearing. Additionally, two more seafarers have been given the all-clear by federal authorities to return home, halfway around the world, according to a spokesman for the crew’s company on Friday.

According to Darrell Wilson, a spokesman for ship manager Synergy Marine, the two recently cleared crew members are both cadets who were on board as part of a training program when the tragedy happened.

After spending a month at Seagirt Marine Terminal in Baltimore, the 213 million-pound ship Dali is now expected to depart for Norfolk, Virginia, on Monday in order to undergo repairs.

According to the Rev. Joshua Messick, priest for the Port of Baltimore and director of the Baltimore International Seafarers’ Center, four crew members will remain on board for the journey.

All of the ship’s officers and other crew members who do not have permission to return home must remain in the country until the crash lawsuit is resolved, which may take more than a year, according to a statement made by Messick on Thursday.

Wilson, a spokesman for Synergy Marine, was unable to confirm whether or not the remaining crew members will have to remain in the US until the lawsuit is resolved. However, he stated that “because they are participating in the investigation,” they are staying in the US for the time being.

According to Messick, the crew members who will remain in the US permanently would be placed in hotels or apartments.

Messick stated on Thursday, “They’re stressed out and anxious because they don’t know what the future holds.” “They have no idea how they’ll be treated here or when they’ll see their family again.”

The drama around the fate of eight crew members

Even though none of the crew members have been charged in relation to the incident, investigations are being conducted to identify potential suspects. In an announcement of legal action, Baltimore’s mayor promised to “hold the wrongdoers responsible.”

Files in the US District Court of Maryland state that attorneys representing the city and a bridge inspector who was almost killed in the accident wish to depose the crew members. However, according to Jason Foster, the bridge inspector’s attorney, legal formalities have kept them from doing so.

This week, in court records, the attorneys expressed dismay at learning through email that eight crew members might soon be permitted to take flights home, on behalf of William Bennett, the ship’s owner and management.

Bennett sent an email on Tuesday to a large number of recipients saying, “Our clients are in the process of arranging for replacement crew for the DALI.” “We have been informed that the U.S. Coast Guard has asked that certain crew members stay in the United States while allowing others to return to their home countries.”

There are no officers among the eight eligible crew members, according to Wilson. A cook, a fitter, an oiler, and a few physically fit seamen are among them.

Bennett’s email, linked to court documents, stated, “All of these crew members have been interviewed by DOJ and DOJ does not object to their departure from the United States.”

This week, the city’s and the bridge inspector’s attorneys filed emergency motions requesting that a judge temporarily prohibit any crew members from departing the United States due to their failure to be deposed.

However, the parties involved came to a compromise late on Wednesday that would permit some of the sailors to return home while safeguarding the attorneys’ right to obtain sworn testimony from the crew.

The agreement filed in court states that their depositions “will be taken in London or elsewhere by written agreement of all parties to the Litigation.”

According to the agreement, the depositions will happen “no sooner than November 2024.”

As per the agreement, Synergy Marine and Grace Ocean are required to furnish documentation such as personnel files, employment contracts, and training files, and to make the crew members available for depositions in the upcoming months.

The deal was approved by a judge on Thursday. However, Wilson noted that it’s still unclear precisely when those eight sailors will be allowed to depart.

Why the staff wasn’t fired sooner

According to Foster, one of the lawyers for the bridge inspector, the ship’s owner and manager are currently seeking to restrict their financial exposure, which prevents any civil cases from starting. Foster claimed that although his client just avoided the bridge collapse, six of his companions perished.

Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine petitioned a federal court six days after the accident, requesting a $43.6 million cap on possible liability claims.

However, Foster told on Wednesday that a ruling on that request is unlikely to occur very soon because prospective claimants have until September 24 to submit their claims.

Furthermore, until all possible claimants had come forward—possibly in September or later—Foster and other attorneys were unable to depose the crew members because of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

However, the eight crew members might depart the nation prior to their deposal thanks to the revised arrangement that was approved on Thursday. Additionally, the court may impose penalties on the ship’s owner or manager if they break any of the agreement’s provisions.

How the crew is currently doing

Wilson, a spokesman for Synergy Marine, stated that the sailors are in excellent spirits despite being away from their families for several months.

According to him, the business “looks after them on a daily basis,” assisting in ensuring they have access to the necessary materials. Additionally, Wilson told on Wednesday that regional seafarers’ organizations had “been tremendous in helping to look after the crew.”

Along with access to cricket matches televised from their home nations, the sailors have received deliveries of pizza and catered meals. Wilson described these little extras as “you know, small touches that mean a lot to the crew.”

Eleven crew members are required to stay in the US; their destiny is still unknown. How much longer they will have to spend separated from their loved ones by half a world is unknown.

Wilson stated, “We would like to return them to their families as soon as we can get them cleared.”