the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
Jun 3, 2024
Over two months ago, the containership Dali struck a critical bridge support and brought the Key Bridge down, killing six construction workers and blocking ships from entering or exiting Baltimore’s harbor. Now the ship has finally been freed and moved to a dock for repairs. But the Dali’s 21 crew members—20 from India and one from Sri Lanka—are still stuck on board.
Some of the crew are needed to maintain the ship’s equipment and help those doing repairs. But all are stuck on board because their visas have expired and officials seem to be taking their time getting the visas extended or issuing new ones.
This is a ridiculous situation. Half the crew probably aren’t needed on board and could be ashore while the other half could remain on the ship. Then they could switch places.
The authorities were moving heaven and earth to restore shipping access to the harbor. Ship owners and shipping companies were losing profits. But the authorities clearly don’t care much about the situation of the crew members.