Indian crew on container ship which rammed Baltimore bridge, US officials laud timely warning

New Delhi: The 22-member crew on the Singapore-flagged container ship, which collided with a bridge in the US Baltimore city early on Tuesday, causing it to collapse, were all Indians and all are safe, as per the shipping company.

"Owners and managers of the Singapore-flagged container ship 'DALI' (IMO 9697428) report that the vessel collided with one of the pillars of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, Baltimore whilst under pilotage with two pilots onboard, at approximately 01.30 local time on 26th March," the Synergy Marine Group said in a statement.

"All crew members, including the two pilots, have been accounted for and there are no reports of any injuries. There has also been no pollution," it said, listing the crew as "All Indian, 22 in total".

The ship was bound from Baltimore to Colombo.

Whilst the exact cause of the incident is yet to be determined, the ‘DALI’ has now mobilised its Qualified Individual Incident response service, it said, adding that the US Coast Guard and local officials have been notified, and the owners and managers are fully cooperating with Federal and State government agencies under an approved plan.

US officials said that the ship crew had reported power issues before the collision and Maryland Governor Wes Moore said they had saved lives by their timely warning, media reports said

Some vehicles and people fell into the water following the collision and a search is on for at least six missing people, as per media reports.