Dali crew members in Baltimore hope for return home 19 months after Key Bridge collapse
By Mike Hellgren
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BALITMORE (WJZ) — The Dali is long gone from the port of Baltimore, more than 600 days after the Key Bridge disaster, but several members of the 984-foot cargo ship’s crew remain in Maryland.
They are trapped in legal limbo, unable to return to their homes in Sri Lanka and India while lawsuits and a possible criminal probe wind their way through the justice system.
Uncertain future for Dali crew Andrew Middleton, with the nonprofit Apostleship of the Sea, has regular contact with the eight members of Dali’s crew who remain in Maryland.
“They’re free to move about Baltimore if they choose, but outside of that, it becomes a little more complicated even just to go to Washington D.C.,” he told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren. “They all have hope that they will see home eventually. I don’t know that they’re necessarily of the mindset these days that it will be soon.”
The crew members have found camaraderie with each other. They are in extended stay housing in Baltimore and often take walks in the city. Middleton said they have taken several excursions, including trips to Gettysburg and baseball games.
“I just had dinner with all but one of them last week. We started to make plans for whoever was interested to come to my house for a Ravens game,” Middleton said. “It always impresses me that they are who they are and have maintained their sense of hope and a positive outlook on life. They are a group of generally good and well-intentioned men who are trying to make the best of the circumstances that they have and that have been dealt to them.”
He said the men receive regular welfare check-ins from the U.S. government and any trips outside of Maryland state lines require special permission.
Keeping in touch with family Crew members have given lengthy depositions in the ongoing legal fight and won the battle to have their testimony sealed for now.
“This incident was not the result of any malice on any of their parts. They were simply in Baltimore as part of their work, and if it had been up to them, they would have sailed out of Baltimore that night without the incident occurring and gone on about their lives,” Middleton said.
The Dali’s operator, Synergy Marine, wrote in a statement, “As part of the ongoing process and in consultation with the authorities, four of them have now been granted permission to visit their families back home in early December. We remain in close contact with all crew members and their families to ensure their well-being is fully supported.”
Crew members often use WhatsApp and are grateful for video calls to family members back home, Middleton said.
Some of the crew have not seen their family for more than two years, as they had already spent a lengthy period on the Dali prior to the incident.
“Several of the family members have been here to visit them, so that’s been a blessing for them, I’m sure. There’s nothing like home, but when you have been away from home as long as they have, I’m sure the desire to go home is even greater,” Middleton said.
Watching media coverage At this week’s pivotal National Transportation Safety Board hearing into the cause of the Key Bridge collapse, investigators found no fault with the crew’s conduct. Several board members praised their quick action and cooperation.
The NTSB blamed a misplaced label on a single cable for causing a loose connection leading to the initial power outage and a cascading series of problems, ultimately sending the Dali careening into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, and causing its collapse in March 2024.
Middleton said the crew members do keep up with media coverage and will likely watch the NTSB’s probable cause hearing.
“They weren’t vilified, and they weren’t blamed for the incident. That’s at least a ray of light for myself and for the crew members,” he said. “If they didn’t watch it live, I’m sure at some point they’ll find it on YouTube.”
The crew members will have plenty of time, with no end in sight to their stay in Baltimore.
“For the past 19 months, they’ve basically had nothing but time on their hands,” Middleton said.
He said his organization always takes donations for the crew and is interested in ideas to keep them busy. Here is how to contact Apostleship of the Sea.
At last check, the Dali was traveling through Chinese waters.
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