All-Indian crew on ship that brought down US bridge

The Singapore-flagged container vessel Dali, which was headed out of Baltimore Harbor for Sri Lanka when it crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, was manned entirely by an Indian crew. While reasons for the ship going out of control are yet to be officially ascertained, United States President Joe Biden has led a host of eminent voices and authorities to hail the alertness of the crew, “which undoubtedly saved lives”.

“Personnel on board the ship were able to alert the Maryland Department of Transportation, that they had lost control of their vessel. As a result, local authorities were able to close the bridge to traffic before the bridge was struck, which undoubtedly saved lives,” President Biden said at a White House press briefing, adding: “Everything so far indicates this was a terrible accident. At this time we have no other indication, no other reason to believe there is any intentional act here.”

On X, the Indian Embassy in the US posted: “Our heartfelt condolences to all affected by the unfortunate accident at the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.”

“For any Indian citizens that may be affected/ require assistance, the Embassy of India has created a dedicated hotline: please reach out to us on +1-202-717-1996,” @IndianEmbassyUS added in the post.

The alert, all-Indian crew of Dali brings to focus how significantly India contributes to marine manpower globally. According to the website of the Directorate General of Shipping, India currently provides 9.35 per cent of global seafarers, ranking third in the list of large seafarer-supplying nations.

“Seafaring has been the world’s first globalized industry. India, being a labour intensive country, has always provided quality seafarers for national and international shipping. India is recognized globally, as a reliable and important source of marine manpower. Indian seafarers, both officers and the rating are much sought after by the Maritime Nation of the World. The last four years (2013-2017) saw an unprecedented growth of 42.3% ship board jobs for Indian Seafarers. The seafarers employed on ships worldwide increased from 1,08,446 in 2013 to 1,54,349 in 2017. India now provides 9.35% of the global seafarers and rank third in the list of the large seafarers supplying nation to the world maritime industry,” states the Directorate General of Shipping of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Government of India, on its official website, dgshipping.gov.in