No, captain of cargo ship involved in Baltimore bridge collapse is not Ukrainian

On Tuesday, March 26, a cargo ship rammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, causing the bridge to collapse. Six construction workers were repairing potholes on the bridge at the time. Divers recovered the bodies of two, and the other four are presumed dead.

After the bridge collapsed, two viral social media posts claimed the captain of the Dali cargo ship is from Ukraine. Both posts include a screenshot of BalticShipping.com, a maritime jobs database. The screenshot appears to show that a 52-year-old Ukrainian man worked on the Dali as master or captain.

“The captain of the ship that hit the bridge in Baltimore is Ukrainian,” one post said.

VERIFY reader Linda asked our team in an email if the Dali cargo ship captain is from Ukraine.

THE QUESTION

Is the captain of the cargo ship involved in the Baltimore bridge collapse Ukrainian?

THE SOURCES

• Synergy Marine Group, a ship management company 
• BalticShipping.com, maritime jobs database

THE ANSWER

No, the captain of the cargo ship involved in the Baltimore bridge collapse is not Ukrainian.

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WHAT WE FOUND

The captain of the Dali cargo ship that was involved in Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse is not Ukrainian. The captain and crew of the cargo ship are Indian, according to Synergy Marine Group, the ship’s management company.

Hours after the bridge collapsed on March 26, Synergy Marine Group said in a press release that all 22 crew members on the ship when the bridge collapsed are Indian.

Two pilots who worked for the Port of Baltimore were navigating the cargo ship at the time of the collision. Pilots are local specialists who help guide vessels safely in and out of ports. Both pilots are U.S. citizens, Synergy told the Associated Press.

The screenshot from the viral social posts appear to show that a 52-year-old Ukrainian man listed on BalticShipping.com’s database worked on the Dali as a master or captain.

We found that the man’s profile has since been removed from the BalticShipping.com database. However, online records acquired by the Associated Press and other media outlets showed the man worked as master on the ship from March 19, 2016, to July 27, 2016.

VERIFY reached out to Synergy Marine Group for comment, but they did not provide a response.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

This story is also available in Spanish / Lee este artículo también en español: No, el capitán del buque de carga involucrado en la caída del puente de Baltimore no es ucraniano