A third, 6 m deep channel has been opened at the collapsed bridge in Baltimore to provide further access to the port.
According to the US authorities, a total of three access routes should make the port accessible again to the extent that around 15% of the handling volume and ship calls can be achieved again compared to normal conditions. [ds_preview]
The aim is to put a deeper channel into operation by the end of this month and to restore the port’s full operating capacity by the end of May, according to the local Unified Command.
The container ship “Dali”, operated by Synergy and chartered by Maersk, rammed the Francis Scott Key Bridge in the Patapsco River and collapsed on March 26, presumably after a failure of the entire on-board electrical system. Six people died in the accident.
Recovery is in full swing in Baltimore
According to reports, the “Dali” is still stuck under the bridge’s wreckage. More than 1,300 tons of steel have already been removed from the river and 120 containers have also been salvaged from the shipwrecked vessel.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) plans to reopen the original 213.4 m wide and 15.2 m deep channel to shipping traffic by the end of May.
The USACE, Baltimore District, is taking the lead in working with local, state and federal partners to remove debris along the Fort McHenry Canal following the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse.
