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Several crew members of a ship that collided with a bridge in Baltimore almost two years ago are still being held in the US by federal authorities despite the fact that no criminal charges have been brought against them.
In the early hours of 26 March 2024, the MV Dali departed the port of Baltimore bound for Sri Lanka. While navigating the Fort McHenry channel, the 1,000ft-long Singapore-flagged cargo vessel lost power before striking the bridge. The impact resulted in the deaths of six people who were working on the bridge at the time.
The Dali’s four most senior crew members – the captain, chief engineer, chief electrician, and second officer – have remained in Baltimore as part of the ongoing investigation, according to four sources from the maritime sector with knowledge of the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The crew members are from India and Sri Lanka.
“These men don’t know when they are going to see their families again,” said one source. “They’re stuck here with no light at the end of the tunnel. They don’t know if they’ll ever be hired again. It’s sad and it’s scary. They’re just sitting on their hands right now.”
A report published by the US government’s National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in November last year found that the Dali’s crash was caused by a loss of electrical power stemming from a loose signal wire in the vessel’s electrical system. According to the board, this was due to improper installation of the wire. It also said that a lack of countermeasures to reduce the bridge’s vulnerability contributed to the collapse.
The NTSB did not attribute individual fault to crew members, but said the incident exposed broader systemic issues in the vessel’s configuration and safety systems.
Some of the crew remaining in Baltimore have not seen their children in nearly two years. Four additional crew members were allowed to return home in late November on the condition that they return to the US next month.
Authorities have confiscated crew members’ passports to restrict travel, the sources said. They are allowed to move freely around Baltimore, but require the FBI’s permission to travel to other states.
“I’ve never seen this [detainment] before,” said a source. “It’s very unusual. But nobody wants to get into a shouting match with the FBI.”
The crew’s employer, Synergy Marine Group, which operated the vessel at the time of the incident, is paying for the men’s accommodation and salary throughout their detainment in the US.
At the time of the Dali crash, Baltimore’s mayor, Brandon Scott, vowed to take action to hold “all entities” responsible, including the owner, charterer, manager/operator, and the manufacturer of the vessel.
In October 2024, Grace Ocean Private Ltd and Synergy Marine Group, the companies that owned and operated the Dali, agreed to pay $101.98m (£74.38m) to settle a civil claim brought by the US to recover federal response and cleanup costs. The claim did not require an admission of liability for causing the crash and Synergy Marine Group said it “expressly rejected” liability for the incident that led to the bridge collapse. Separate legal proceedings are scheduled to begin on 1 June 2026, to determine whether the companies are entitled to limit liability under federal maritime law.
The city of Baltimore, the state of Maryland, multiple businesses, cargo owners, and the families of the deceased workers have filed lawsuits seeking damages. Federal prosecutors have not announced any criminal charges related to the incident. The legal proceedings are expected to continue for several years.
Barbara Shipley, an inspector with the International Transport Workers’ Federation said her organisation was concerned that the seafarers were still being held in the US, “far from home, their families and friends”.
“With the final report of the NTSB now released, it is clear these men acted to the best of their ability to avoid the collision,” she said. “It is our hope that they are exonerated and repatriated as soon as possible.”
At the time the NTSB released its report on the collision, the Maryland Transportation Authority said the bridge collapse was not due to any structural shortcomings. In a statement, it said: “The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and the tragic loss of life were the sole fault of the Dali and the gross negligence of its owners and operators.”
In a joint statement in November 2025, Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine Group said that they noted the findings of the NTSB report and that they are now reviewing those with their legal teams.
The US Department of Justice was approached for comment but did not respond.
This article was supported by the Pulitzer Center’s Ocean Reporting Network.
