FOUR senior officers from a cargo vessel that struck a major bridge in Baltimore nearly two years ago remain detained in the US without any criminal charges being filed against them, according to maritime industry sources.
The officers from the MV Dali – comprising the ship's captain, chief engineer, chief electrician and second officer – have been held in Baltimore since the vessel collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, 2024, killing six construction workers who were on the structure at the time.
The Guardian has learnt from four separate maritime sector sources, who requested anonymity, that the crew members from India and Sri Lanka have had their passports seized by authorities and cannot leave the country, despite nearly 23 months passing since the incident.
"These men don't know when they are going to see their families again," one source said. "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."
The 1,000-foot Singapore-registered container ship had just departed Baltimore's port bound for Sri Lanka when it suffered electrical failure while navigating the Fort McHenry channel in the early morning hours. The subsequent impact brought down the bridge structure.
An official investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, published in November, determined that the collision resulted from an electrical power loss caused by an improperly installed signal cable in the ship's electrical systems. The report also cited insufficient protective measures on the bridge itself as contributing to the collapse.
Importantly, the safety board did not assign personal blame to any crew members, instead highlighting wider problems with the vessel's setup and safety equipment.
While the detained officers can move around Baltimore freely, they must obtain permission from the FBI to travel to other US states, the sources said. Several of the men have not seen their children for almost the entire two-year period.
Four other crew members were permitted to return home in late November but have been ordered to come back to the US next month, according to the sources.
"I've never seen this [detention] before," said one industry source. "It's very unusual. But nobody wants to get into a shouting match with the FBI."
The vessel's operator at the time, Synergy Marine Group, continues to cover accommodation costs and wages for the detained seafarers throughout their extended stay.
Baltimore's mayor, Brandon Scott, pledged following the disaster to pursue accountability from "all entities" involved, including the ship's owner, charterer, operator and manufacturer.
In October 2024, Grace Ocean Private Ltd and Synergy Marine Group – the companies that owned and managed the Dali – agreed to pay £74.38 million ($101.98m) to settle a civil claim by the US government for emergency response and cleanup expenses.
Further court proceedings are scheduled to begin on June 1, 2026, to decide whether the companies can limit their legal exposure under federal maritime regulations. Baltimore city, Maryland state, various businesses, cargo owners and relatives of the deceased workers have all launched separate lawsuits seeking compensation. Federal prosecutors have not announced any criminal charges. The legal process is expected to continue for several more years.
Barbara Shipley, an inspector with the International Transport Workers' Federation, said her organisation was worried that the seafarers remained 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 was quoted as saying. "It is our hope that they are exonerated and repatriated as soon as possible."
Following the safety board's report, the Maryland Transportation Authority maintained the bridge collapse was not caused by any structural deficiencies. In a statement, the authority 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."
Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine Group said in a joint statement in November 2025 that they had noted the investigation findings and were examining them with their legal advisers.
