11 Dali crew members still in Baltimore months after Key Bridge collapse. Here's the latest.
BALTIMORE -- Some of the crew members from the Dali, the cargo ship that crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge five months ago, remain in Baltimore with the legal proceedings surrounding the bridge's collapse ongoing.
Several crew members were allowed to leave when the ship departed the Port of Baltimore in June. The highest-ranking members were told to stay until the legal process was complete, which could be a year or more.
Apostleship of the Sea, which is tied to the Archdiocese of Baltimore, is still helping the Dali crew who remain in Baltimore. Andrew Middleton, the director of Apostleship of the Sea, says his organization won't stop helping them until all of the crew leaves.
"The incident itself has moved into the past for so many people that, I guess, a lot of people don't even think about it now," Middleton said. "We don't want [the crew] to feel they're in the past as well."
The 11 Dali crew members remaining in Baltimore have been off the ship since June. Before that, the entire crew spent three months onboard before they were allowed to disembark.
"A lot of it for them at this point is just trying to keep themselves occupied and try to have as normal of a life as they can right now," Middleton said.
Middleton insisted that for as long as those crewmembers are in Baltimore, the nonprofits and charities will continue to serve.
"My hope is that this is all cleared up and they can resume their lives sooner than later," Middleton said.
Middleton said one of the Dali crew members returned home to South Asia because of a family emergency, also on the condition that he would return.
The Key Bridge collapse
The Dali crashed into the Key Bridge around 1:30 a.m. on March 26, knocking seven construction workers into the Patapsco River. One survived, but the other six died.
NTSB said the vessel had several electrical outages leading up to the departure, and had another one moments before striking Baltimore's iconic bridge.
The Dali, now in port at Norfolk International Terminal in Virginia, is undergoing repairs, after the removal of all of its cargo.
Authorizing funding for new bridge
The Biden Administration has committed to covering the full cost of rebuilding the Key Bridge.
The Baltimore BRIDGE Relief Act, headed by members of the Maryland Congressional Delegation, would authorize that funding.
In a statement to WJZ, a spokesman for U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin said Congress is close to finalizing the bill.
"Getting this done is his highest priority," part of the statement read.
Efforts to hold Dali liable
U.S. Rep. John Garamendi of California last week introduced a bill aiming to make the Dali's owner more liable in the collapse and pay a bigger share in the rebuilding effort.
"It's just plain wrong that the taxpayers of America would wind up paying for a very, very expensive new bridge to replace the Francis Scott Key Bridge," Garemendi said.