The 984-foot cargo ship was bound for Colombo, Sri Lanka.

New York:

The 20 Indians and one Sri Lankan who were on board the container ship that collided with a key bridge in Baltimore last week are “busy with normal duties” and will remain on board until the accident investigation is completed.

“It has been confirmed that there are 21 crew members on board. The crew are busy performing their normal duties on the ship and assisting the National Transportation Safety Board and Coast Guard investigators on board,” a spokesperson for Grace Ocean Pte and Synergy Marine told PTI.

In the early morning of March 26, the container ship “Dali” on which the crew was traveling collided with the 2.6-kilometer-long, four-lane Francis Scott Key Bridge over Baltimore’s Patapsco River. The 984-foot cargo ship was originally bound for Colombo, Sri Lanka.

On how long the crew must stay on board, the spokesman said, “At this time, we do not know how long the investigation process will take and the crew will remain on board until that process is completed.” The Singapore-flagged Dali is owned by Grace Ocean Pte Ltd , managed by Synergy Marine Group. Previously, the nonprofit International Seafarers Center of Baltimore said the Indian crew on the container ship was “healthy.”

Delhi’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) earlier said there were 20 Indians on board the Dali and the Indian Embassy in Washington was in close contact with them and local authorities.

Last week, U.S. authorities began interviewing people on board the Dali. The NTSB boarded the ship on Wednesday and collected documents, voyage data recorder excerpts and other evidence as part of the investigation, Synergy Group said in a statement.

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

Construction crews were repairing potholes on the bridge when the collision occurred, and six people are presumed dead. Divers have recovered the bodies of two construction workers from a red pickup truck that was submerged in a river and are searching for the remaining four victims.

US President Joe Biden said the crew of the Daly alerted shipping crews that the vessel was out of control, allowing authorities to shut down traffic on the Baltimore Bridge before a devastating collision, “undoubtedly” saving lives.

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