Baltimore bridge collapse: Port pilots were US locals
The two port pilots that were onboard the Dali when it crashed into the Francis Key Bridge on March 26 were locals from Baltimore, a Synergy Marine Group spokesman told The Straits Times on March 27.
Synergy, headquartered in Singapore, manages the Singapore-flagged container ship.
In a phone call, Mr Darrell Wilson said that the two port pilots on board at the time of the accident were from Baltimore, and that 22 crew members are all Indian nationals.
Synergy, he said, hired and manages the crew onboard the Dali, who are all accounted for and have not reported any injuries.
Mr Wilson was not able to provide answers as to what will happen to the vessel moving forward, and when it can be moved from the accident site.
He added that Synergy employees are on site to assist the US authorities with their investigations, and that the company is “fully cooperative”.
The Dali - a 95,000 gross ton container vessel – collided with one of the pillars of the four-lane bridge in the eastern US port city at around 1.30am local time (1.30pm SGT) on March 26, causing it to collapse.
The impact caused the bridge to collapse almost immediately, sending cars and people plunging into the river’s cold waters below. One body was recovered and six people – who are believed to be construction workers that were conducting repair works on the bride – are presumed dead after emergency workers suspended search efforts.
Two other people were rescued from the river earlier, with one being in critical condition.
According to Synergy’s website, it has 28 offices, 24,000 seafarers, and 668 vessels under its management globally.
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