BALTIMORE (AP) — The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city’s port.
Five vessels that have been stranded for weeks are expected to finally leave Baltimore through the new, temporary channel.
It glided slowly past the fallen bridge and grounded Dali, the massive container ship that caused the collapse when it slammed into one of the bridge’s support columns.
The Dali lost power and veered off course shortly after leaving the Port of Baltimore bound for Sri Lanka last month.
A painted canvas backdrop displays abstract scenes from the bridge collapse and salvage efforts as well as handwritten notes from the men’s loved ones.
The port’s main channel is set to reopen next month after the Dali has been removed from the collapse site.
A hulking vehicle carrier named Carmen that is nearly as long as the Dali became the third commercial ship to traverse the channel Thursday afternoon.
In a court filing Monday, Baltimore’s mayor and city council called for the Dali’s owner and manager to be held fully liable for the bridge collapse, which they said could be devastating for the regional economy.
BALTIMORE (AP) — On Thursday, the first cargo ship to pass through Baltimore’s recently opened deep-water channel did so after becoming stuck in the harbor following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which four weeks prior had stopped most maritime traffic through the port of the city.
Under the Panamanian flag, the bulk carrier Balsa 94 made her way through the newly constructed 35-foot (12-meter) channel and arrived at St. Canada, John. Later on Thursday, two more commercial ships arrived, one of which was a vehicle carrier bound for Panama.
When crews have been working nonstop to remove thousands of tons of damaged steel and concrete from Baltimore’s harbor entrance, their eagerly anticipated voyages represented a significant milestone in the ongoing cleanup and recovery effort.
At last, five ships that have been stuck in Baltimore for weeks are anticipated to depart via the new, temporary route. Plans call for additional ships to dock at this port, which typically handles more vehicles and agricultural machinery than any other in the nation.
Local and state officials have prioritized reopening the port and restoring its traffic to normal capacity in an attempt to lessen the economic fallout from the collapse, as thousands of longshoremen, truckers, and small business owners have seen their jobs negatively impacted. For those affected by the closure and those without jobs, officials have also established a number of assistance programs.
Two tug boats, one in front and one behind, guided the Balsa 94 as it navigated the channel early on Thursday morning. It slid silently past the collapsed bridge and grounded Dali, the enormous cargo ship that had collided with a support column of the bridge.
Certain sections of the port’s main channel, which can accommodate some of the biggest cruise and cargo ships on the water, is still blocked by pieces of the steel span. The main channel has a controlling depth of fifty feet (15 meters).
On Monday, the Balsa 94 is anticipated to land in Canada.
Just as the Dali was about to depart the Port of Baltimore for Sri Lanka last month, it lost power and veered off course.
The collapse claimed the lives of six Latino immigrants from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras who were working on a road. While two are still missing, four bodies have been found among the underwater debris.
In recent weeks, a memorial for the victims has expanded close to the south end of the bridge. Six massive wooden crosses with flags from the victims’ native countries and other sentimental objects—like the work boots and hardhats that enabled them to support their families and pursue the American dream—are now part of the memorial. Handwritten notes from the men’s loved ones are displayed alongside abstract scenes from the bridge collapse and rescue efforts on a painted canvas backdrop.
Roberto Marquez, an artist, stated, “We want to send a message to the world that we’re here and we care,” as he was touring the memorial late on Thursday morning. “We’ll be here working until every one of them has recovered. “.
The new channel will be available until Monday or Tuesday, at which point it will close once more until about May 10. According to statements made earlier this week by officials, during the closure, workers will remove steel spans from the Dali’s deck and refloat the vessel, which will subsequently be guided back into the port.
Following the Dali’s removal from the collapse site, the port’s main channel is scheduled to reopen early next month. It will enable regular traffic to start flowing through the port once again.
For the time being, though, the 35-foot depth is a significant improvement over the three other temporary channels that were recently established. A channel of that depth should be open by the end of April, as officials had previously stated. This puts the cleanup effort somewhat ahead of schedule.
This Thursday afternoon, the third commercial ship to cross the channel was a massive vehicle carrier called Carmen, which is almost as long as the Dali. From the deck of a passenger boat nearby, it seemed to sail steadily between the marker buoys, dwarfing the nearby wreckage removal equipment, cranes, and barges.
The crews persevered in their laborious task of clearing debris from the collapse site despite passing commercial ships. On Thursday, they were breaking up the fallen roadway into smaller, more manageable pieces with a crane apparatus so that a massive claw could lift them from below.
The mayor and city council of Baltimore requested that the owner and manager of the Dali be held entirely accountable for the bridge collapse in a court filing on Monday, citing the potential economic devastation for the area. They claimed that Baltimore and the surrounding area have benefited economically from the port, which was founded before the country was even born. Another major east coast trucking route has been disrupted by the bridge’s actual loss.
The filing was made in response to a previous petition filed on behalf of the two companies, which asked the court to cap their liability under an 1851 maritime law’s pre-Civil War provision. This type of petition is routine in these types of cases. In the end, who is at fault and how much they owe will be determined by a federal court in Maryland.
