First vessel uses alternate channel to bypass wreckage at the Baltimore bridge collapse site
BALTIMORE– A tugboat pushing a fuel barge became the first vessel to use an alternate channel to bypass the wreckage of Baltimore’s collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge, which had blocked traffic along the vital port’s main shipping channel.
The ship that delivers jet fuel to the Defense Department departed late Monday and was bound for Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, although officials have said the temporary canal is primarily open to ships helping with the cleanup effort. Some ships and tugboats stuck in the Port of Baltimore since the collapse will also pass through the canal.
Officials said they are working on a second canal on the southwest side of the main canal that will allow deeper-draft vessels, but they did not say when that might open.
Gov. Wes Moore on Tuesday will visit one of two centers the Small Business Administration has opened in the area to help businesses get loans to help them with losses caused by the disruption of the bridge collapse.
Crews are doing the complicated work of removing steel and concrete at the site where the bridge fatally collapsed after a container ship lost power and crashed into a support column. On Sunday, dive teams inspected parts of the bridge and checked the ship, and workers in elevators used torches to cut surfaced parts of the twisted steel superstructure.
Authorities believe six workers fell to their deaths in the collapse, including two whose bodies were recovered last week. Two other workers survived.
Moore, a Democrat, said at a news conference Monday afternoon that his top priority is recovering the four remaining bodies, followed by reopening shipping channels. He said he understands the urgency, but the risks are significant. Crews have described the mangled steel girders of the fallen bridge as “chaotic wreckage,” he said.
“What we’re finding is that it’s more complicated than we initially hoped,” said Vice Adm. Shannon Gilreath of the U.S. Coast Guard.
In the meantime, the ship remains idle and the 21 crew members remain on board for the time being, officials said.
President Joe Biden is expected to visit the site of the collapse on Friday to meet with state and local officials and discuss federal response efforts.
The bridge fell when the freighter Dali lost power on March 26, shortly after leaving Baltimore en route to Sri Lanka. The ship issued a mayday warning, giving police just enough time to stop traffic, but not enough to rescue a roadwork crew filling potholes in the bridge.
The Dali is operated by Synergy Marine Group and owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd., both of Singapore. The Danish shipping company Maersk chartered the Dali.
Synergy and Grace Ocean petitioned the court Monday to limit their legal liability, a routine but important procedure for cases conducted under U.S. maritime law. A federal court in Maryland will ultimately decide who is responsible and how much they owe.
The filing seeks to limit the companies’ liability to approximately $43.6 million. It estimates that the ship itself is worth up to $90 million and that it owed more than $1.1 million in cargo revenue. The estimate also subtracts two major expenses: at least $28 million in repair costs and at least $19.5 million in salvage costs.
Officials are trying to determine how to rebuild the large bridge, which was completed in 1977. The bridge carried Interstate 695 around southeastern Baltimore and became a symbol of the city’s working-class roots and maritime culture.
Congress is expected to consider relief packages to help people who lose their jobs or businesses due to the prolonged closure of the Port of Baltimore. The port handles more cars and farm equipment than any other U.S. facility.
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Associated Press journalists Tassanee Vegpongsa in Baltimore contributed to this report; Sarah Brumfield in Washington; Michael Kunzelman in College Park, Maryland; and Rebecca Boone in Boise, Idaho.