Three months after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge In Baltimore, the cargo ship Dali has officially departed the state of Maryland. The ship is now headed towards Norfolk, Virginia to offload the containers of the vessel and additional repairs.
The 984-foot-long ship departed Baltimore around 8:30 AM local time with four tugboats. It is expected to reach Virginia in the next 16 to 20 hours.
On March 26, Dali crashed into one of the supporting columns of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, resulting in the total collapse of the historic bridge.
The collapse, which was captured on camera, killed a total of six construction workers who were crossing the bridge at the time of the incident.
The ship, which had a total of 21 crew members, lost power and propulsion, leading to the crash into the bridge, Notably, 20 of the crew members on the ship were Indian nationals.
Upon investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board investigation found that Dali ship experienced two power outages in the hours before it left the Port of Baltimore. Moments before the bridge collapsed, the cargo ship lost its power again.
An investigation into the actual cause behind the electrical failures is underway. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has also launched a criminal investigation into the matter.
On May 20, the cargo ship was floated back tot he port after being stuck in the wreckage of the bridge collapse for the past two months. Last week, members of the crew were allowed to head home.
After the crash in March, all 21 crew members were not allowed to leave the US due to the investigations launched into the matter. However, under the new agreement, the crew members have been allowed to go home but must be available and return to the US for depositions.
With the collapse in March and the controlled explosion in May, officials are hopeful that the historic bridge will be repaired by 2028.
