New York:

The Indian crew member of a damaged container ship that collided with a key bridge in Baltimore last week is “in good health,” according to a nonprofit that keeps in touch with people.

In the early morning hours of March 26, the 2.6-kilometer-long, four-lane bridge over Baltimore’s Patapsco River collapsed after a 984-foot-long cargo ship, the Dali, bound for Sri Lanka, collided with the bridge.

Nearly a week after the collision, the Dali’s 21 crew members, 20 of whom are Indians, remain aboard the stricken cargo ship.

“What I know now is that they are both healthy and we are doing our best to meet their needs emotionally and otherwise,” Pastor Joshua Messick, executive director of the International Seafarers Center in Baltimore, told PTI. “

Joshua Messick said he was “in constant contact with the cast and crew via WhatsApp,” and called the crew’s response to him and other contacts “succinct.”

“I think they’re very careful about what they say and who they say it to,” he said.

Joshua Messick added that he has contacted the crew of the Daly again “to see if we can ship anything to them today.” The Baltimore International Seafarers Center is a nonprofit organization that provides services to travelers from around the world who call the Port of Baltimore. seafarers provide services. According to information on its website, its mission is to “promote the well-being of seafarers by providing shore transportation.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in New Delhi said that there were 20 Indians on board the “Dali” cargo ship, and the Indian Embassy in Washington was in close contact with them and local authorities.

“Our information is that there are 21 crew members on board, 20 of them Indians. They are all in good condition and in good health. One of them suffered minor injuries and required stitches, which have been stitched up so far.” …. ..and, he is back on board,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in response to queries at the weekly media briefing last week.

He also said that the Indian Embassy in the United States was “in close contact with the Indians on board and local authorities.”

Joshua Messick said he is still in contact with the captains of all eight ships currently stuck in Baltimore Harbor following the bridge incident.

His organization is working with other seafarer centers in Baltimore (Sea Apostles) to provide support to crews and personnel on other ships.

“We will work together to provide every service we can while you are in Baltimore. This includes shore transportation, handling errands for crew members without visas, accepting packages that are delivered to us on your behalf and we then bring them to the ship, and any type of service.” Joshua Messick said in a message he and Ocean Apostle/Stella Maris’ Andy Middleton co-sent:

Last week, U.S. authorities began interviewing people, including Indian crew members, from the Daly, which collided with Baltimore’s Francis Scott Bridge.

Synergy Group, the shipping company that manages the Singapore-flagged Daly, said in a statement last week that the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) boarded the ship on Wednesday and collected documents, voyage data recorder excerpts and other evidence as part of the investigation. their investigation.

“The National Transportation Safety Board has also begun interviewing the crew. We will continue to cooperate with investigators throughout this process,” Synergy said.

Dali owner Grace Ocean Pte Ltd and Synergy have confirmed the safety of all crew members and two pilots on board. However, they reported one minor injury and said the injured crew member was treated and released from the hospital.

“One injured crew member returned to the ship on Wednesday after receiving medical treatment,” Synergy said.

Construction crews were repairing potholes on the Francis Scott Key Bridge when a collision occurred in the early morning hours of March 26, in which six people are presumed dead.

Divers recovered the bodies of two construction workers from a red pickup truck that was submerged in the Patapsco River and were searching for the remaining four victims.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore said removing the bridge and cargo ship debris is a complex and time-consuming task.

“This is not a disaster in Baltimore. This is not a disaster in Maryland. This is a national economic disaster,” Maryland Gov. Wes Moore told CNN on Sunday.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore said the port is one of the busiest and most active in the country. “So this isn’t just going to impact Maryland. It’s going to impact farmers in Kentucky. It’s going to impact car dealers in Ohio. It’s going to impact restaurant owners in Tennessee,” he said.

“This is not just the economy of Maryland. This is impacting the state economy. This is the largest port of entry for new cars, heavy trucks and agricultural equipment. So this is impacting people across the country,” Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said at another told MSNBC in an interview.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)