Almost two dozen members of the crew of the ship that struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore are still on board.
The Dali was at the start of a 27-day journey from Baltimore to Sri Lanka when it struck the bridge, sending thousands of tonnes of steel and cement into the Patapsco river.
The crew, made up of 20 Indians and a Sri Lankan national, have been below deck in the massive ship's hull since the incident on March 26.
They have been unable to disembark because of visa restrictions, a lack of required shore passes and parallel ongoing investigations by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and FBI.
The remains of the bridge were blown up in a controlled explosion
Reuters
The boat struck the bridge in March
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On Monday, authorities used small explosive charges to "cut" an expanse of the bridge lying on the ship's bow.
US Coast Guard Admiral Shannon Gilreath said that the crew would remain below deck with a fire crew at the ready, adding: "They're part of the ship. They are necessary to keep the ship staffed and operational...They're the best responders on board the ship themselves."
President of the Seafarers International Union Dave Heindel said that "however long the investigation takes, the crew's rights and welfare should not be infringed upon."
"We call on the authorities to be mindful that seafarers utilise mobile devices to conduct personal business for bill payments, and, more important, transfer money to their home country to sustain families...crew members are becoming demoralised without the basic tools we all take for granted."
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The ruins of the bridge remain in the harbour
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Executive director of the Baltimore International Seafarers' Center Joshua Messick said the crew has been left largely without communication with the outside world for "a couple of weeks" after their mobile phones were confiscated by the FBI as part of the investigation.
He said: "They can't do any online banking. They can't pay their bills at home. They don't have any of their data or anyone's contact information, so they're really isolated right now... It's really a sad situation."
In April, the FBI opened a criminal probe into the collapse. Maryland estimates it will cost $1.7billion to $1.9bn to rebuild the bridge and anticipates completion by Autumn 2028.
Federal investigators said the Dali cargo ship lost electrical power several times including the day before it crashed into the bridge.
The Baltimore bridge as viewed from Air Force One
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The NTSB said in a preliminary report that about 10 hours before leaving Baltimore, the Dali experienced a blackout during in-port maintenance.
The board said the cargo ship had other outages including just minutes before the crash when electrical breakers unexpectedly tripped causing a loss of electrical power to all shipboard lighting and most equipment.
The NTSB said loss of electrical power stopped all three steering pumps, and, therefore, the rudder was unable to be moved.