Shipping containers being removed from Dali in big step towards clearing Key Bridge collapse site
BALTIMORE - A new video shows containers being removed from the Dali, the cargo ship that crashed into the Key Bridge causing it to collapse on March 26.
The Dali remains stuck in the Patapsco River.
This process allows the Unified Command to prepare to clear the portion of the bridge that remains on top of the ship, and is also a crucial step in removing the ship and reopening the Fort Henry Channel.
The removal of the containers will continue through the week as weather permits.
"The Unified Command is concurrently progressing on its main lines of effort to remove enough debris to open the channel to larger commercial traffic, refloat the M/V Dali and continue recovery efforts for missing loved ones," said U.S. Coast Guard Capt. David O'Connell. "Every day we are working to achieve these goals safely and efficiently."
The vessel had 764 tons of corrosive, flammable material and batteries, according to NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy, adding that some of the containers were breached. One of the hazardous materials was sheen, which is used in paint, that leaked into the Patapsco River.
How much weight?
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says that an estimated 50,000 tons of steel and concrete make up the wreckage of the total collapsed span of the Key Bridge.
In comparison, that's like 3,800 fully loaded dump trucks.
Vessels coming to port in Baltimore
Marine traffic remains limited through the channels and to the Port of Baltimore.
As of Sunday, 32 vessels have passed through the temporary, alternate channels near the Key Bridge wreckage site.
Two temporary passageways were created for smaller commercial and essential ships and barges. A 14-foot channel along the south of the disaster site and an 11-foot channel along the northeast side allow more marine vessels access to the Port of Baltimore.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced late Thursday they will open "a limited access channel 280 feet wide and 35 feet deep, to the Port of Baltimore within the next four weeks—by the end of April."
The Corps said the channel will support one-way traffic in and out of the Port of Baltimore "for barge container service and some roll on/roll off vessels that move automobiles and farm equipment to and from the port."
Three workers remain missing
The body of a third construction worker was located Friday at the site of the Key Bridge collapse.
Officials said 38-year-old Maynor Yasir Suazo-Sandoval was the third worker who had been recovered from the site.
Three more missing construction workers are presumed to be dead after the cargo ship smashed into the bridge.
"The collapse of the Key Bridge is undoubtedly one of the most challenging tragedies we have faced as a law enforcement agency. Along with our local, state and federal public safety partners, we will not give up," said Colonel Roland L. Butler, Jr., Superintendent of the Maryland Department of State Police. "There are families still waiting to hear if we have found their loved one. I can promise you, we are fully committed to finding closure for each of these families," he said.
Biden: 'Your nation has your back'
President Biden visited Baltimore on Friday to assess the damage from the Key Bridge collapse. He was provided an aerial tour from Marine One, the presidential helicopter.
In public remarks overlooking the disaster site in Dundalk, the president again vowed to move "heaven and earth" to remove the damage and promised to rebuild the Key Bridge with federal funds.
"Your nation has your back, and I mean it," Biden said.
The president met with first responders and received a briefing from the Unified Command.
"From the air, I saw a bridge that's been ripped apart, but here on the ground, I see a community that's been pulled together," he said.
