BALTIMORE– Salvage crews on Sunday began removing containers from the deck of the cargo ship that crashed into and collapsed the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, a major step toward fully reopening one of the nation’s most important shipping lanes.
The removal of the containers from the deck of the Dali would continue this week, weather permitting, according to a statement from the Key Bridge Response Unified Command. Crews were working to remove portions of the bridge that span the ship’s bow to eventually allow it to move, the statement said.
A total of 32 ships passed through temporary channels on either side of the wreck, officials said.
“Unified Command is simultaneously making progress on its major efforts to remove sufficient debris to open the channel to increased commercial traffic,” U.S. Coast Guard Capt. David O’Connell said in the statement.
The Dali has been stuck under mangled steel in the Patapsco River since it crashed into the bridge on March 26, killing six workers.
President Joe Biden on Friday took a helicopter tour of the twisted metal remains and the mass of construction and recovery equipment trying to clear the wreckage. The president also met with the families of the dead for over an hour.
Eight workers – immigrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador – were patching holes in the bridge when it was hit and collapsed in the middle of the night. Two men were rescued and the bodies of three others were recovered in the following days. The search for the other victims continued.
Officials have created a temporary alternate channel for ships involved in clearing debris. The Army Corps of Engineers hopes to open a limited-access canal for container ships and some ships moving cars and farm equipment by the end of April and restore normal capacity at the Port of Baltimore by May 31, the White House said.
More than 50 salvage divers and 12 cranes are on site to help cut and remove portions of the bridge from the main waterway.