Baltimore bridge collapse: Crew members, mostly Indians, remain stuck on ship for 55 days, face 'tough time'

The 21 crew members, who were aboard the ship that rammed into Baltimore bridge and caused its collapse, are facing a "tough" time as theystillremain stuck in the vessel for 55 days, as per media reports.

The crew, 20 Indians and one Sri Lankan, have been forced to remain on board since the disaster happened on March 26, in which the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed and six construction workers were killed.

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The crew scrambled to find survivors after the collision, got their phones confiscated by FBI agents and braved multiple controlled explosions to break the chunk of the bridge which was stuck atop the ship’s bow.

“It has been tough for the seafarers, primarily (because) they know that there’s been a loss of life,” said Gwee Guo Duan, who is an assistant general secretary of the Singapore Maritime Officers’ Union, while speaking to CNN.

Also Read:Cargo ship Dali that struck Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge finally moves towards port

Singapore Maritime Officers’ Union is among those representing the crew members on the Singapore-flagged ship.

“It is tough for them, being on board and having to look at the accident site every single day," he added.

Crew members' US visas have expired, are given temporary phones

According to the US maritime rules, minimum staffing needs to be maintained at all times so that the crew is available when machinery aboard is running and something goes wrong.

Also, the US visas of the crew members, which allow them to leave the boat, have expired.

The owner of Dali Ship Synergy Marine's officials said that the crew members have been well-supplied and the 21 men have been busy with maintenance and other work. They added that they also have access to mental health services.

Watch:US: Ships to resume Baltimore operations, container ship now buoyant

The Singaporean unions said the crew members have been distressed because of an “unfounded” fear that officials will hold them personally liable for the incident.

Port chaplain and Executive Director for Baltimore International Seafarers’ Centre Reverend Messick said he was alarmed when he heard that the FBI seized the seamans’ cellphones in April.

Temporary phones have been given to the crew but they cannot access their SIM cards or data which was present in their original phones.

(With inputs from agencies)