Salvage operations began on Sunday to remove containers from the deck of the cargo ship that collided with and collapsed the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, a critical step towards fully reopening one of the nation’s primary shipping lanes. The removal of containers from the Dali's deck is expected to continue this week, contingent upon weather conditions, according to a statement from the Key Bridge Response Unified Command. Crews are making progress in removing sections of the bridge that are obstructing the ship's movement, with the aim of eventually allowing it to be moved, the statement said. So far, 32 vessels have passed through temporary channels on either side of the wreckage.
"The Unified Command is simultaneously advancing its main objectives to clear enough debris to open the channel to larger commercial traffic," said U.S. Coast Guard Capt. David O’Connell in the statement. The Dali has been trapped under twisted steel in the Patapsco River since it collided with the bridge on March 26, resulting in the deaths of six workers.
President Joe Biden conducted a helicopter tour on Friday of the twisted metal remains and the mass of construction and salvage equipment working to clear the wreckage. During his visit, the president also met with the families of those who died for more than an hour.
The bridge collapsed while eight workers, immigrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, were filling potholes on the bridge.
Two men were rescued, and the bodies of three others were recovered in the following days. The search for the other victims is ongoing. Authorities have established a temporary alternate channel for vessels involved in clearing debris. The Army Corps of Engineers aims to open a limited-access channel for barge container ships and some vessels carrying cars and farm equipment by the end of April, with the goal of restoring normal capacity to Baltimore’s port by May 31, according to the White House.
More than 50 salvage divers and 12 cranes are on site to assist in cutting out sections of the bridge and removing them from the key waterway.