Eight crew members of the Dali are set to leave the country for the first time since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed, but attorneys representing people economically hurt by the wreck say letting them go would complicate litigation over the incident.

In a motion and emails filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Baltimore, claimants’ lawyer Andrew O’Connell says there’s no guaranteed way to make the crew members available for future questioning if they are allowed to leave the country.

“In the present action, the return of the crew members of the Dali to their respective home countries without a plan for their respective depositions presents numerous legal and logistical issues that will exacerbate the inherent complexities and difficulties in this matter,” O’Connell wrote.

O’Connell is seeking an emergency conference call to discuss the status of the ship’s crew. Grace Ocean Private, the owner of the Dali, and Synergy Marine Group, the manager of the ship, filed a petition for exoneration from or limitation of liability April 1 in U.S. District Court in Baltimore.

U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar had not ruled on the request to keep the crew in Baltimore as of late Tuesday.

Unless stopped, the crew members would leave Baltimore for Sri Lanka and India on Thursday, William R. Bennett III, one of the attorneys for Grace Ocean, wrote in an email Tuesday that was sent to O’Connell and other attorneys involved in the case.

Adam Levitt, a Chicago-based attorney representing the mayor and City of Baltimore, is also seeking to keep the crew in Baltimore for the time being.

“The crew consists entirely of foreign nationals who, of course, have critical knowledge and information about the events giving rise to this litigation,” Levitt said. “If they are permitted to leave the United States, Claimants may never have the opportunity to question or depose them.”

The crew members have been interviewed by the U.S. Department of Justice, which is investigating the wreck, and the department has no objection to the workers leaving the country, Bennett wrote. The crew has been on board the ship since the wreck in March and is currently at the Seagirt Marine Terminal.

Bennett said the attorney handling the criminal investigation for the crew said his clients would invoke their right against self-incrimination if deposed in the civil case.

“Under the circumstances, we see no purpose in convening depositions on an emergency basis simply to accomplish this formality, but please let us know asap if anyone feels otherwise,” Bennett wrote.

The Dali crashed into the Key Bridge in the early morning hours of March 26, disrupting marine traffic through the Port of Baltimore and setting off two federal safety investigations as well as an FBI probe.

Six people were killed when the bridge cascaded into the water. A seventh person survived the fall.

The main shipping channel reopened to commercial traffic June 10, allowing cargo ships access to the Port for the first time since the collapse.