The cargo ship Dali, which has been stuck since the March 26 Key Bridge collapse, has finally been moved back to port, clearing a major obstacle blocking the main channel to and from the Port of Baltimore.
“This milestone allows all pre-collapse deep-draft commercial vessels to enter and exit the Port of Baltimore,” says the Unified Command, which is leading the cleanup.
The video above shows a time lapse of the 1,000-foot-long ship’s refloat and move shot by David Gray, as well as footage of the Dali traveling back to port shot by Thomas I. Deaton. Both Gray and Deaton are with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The removal of the ship followed a controlled blast of debris on its deck.
Part of the bridge wreckage covered the deck of the ship and had to be removed before the ship could be refloated. On May 20, crews refloated the Dali, with its 22-member crew still aboard, and tugged it 2.5 miles to a port terminal. The ship was moved by five tugboats and other support vessels over two hours on a high tide. The entire refloat and move process took about 21 hours.
“The Unified Command continues to clear the remaining wreckage from the Fort McHenry Federal Channel,” said the Unified Command. “We’re pleased to see the successful refloating and moving of the M/V Dail today to its new location. We won’t slow down until the channel is fully restored.”
The command expects to have the port fully reopened by May 31. The task involves restoring the channel to its original width of 700 feet and removing all steel below the mudline.
“This marks the resumption of commercial vessel transits in and out of the Port of Baltimore,” said the Unified Command. “This truly signifies the next chapter in restoring the waterway commerce in this region, which also serves as the economic engine for thousands of workers and their families who depend on commerce traveling through the Port of Baltimore.”
The Unified Command consists of the following organizations:
- U.S. Coast Guard
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- Maryland Department of the Environment
- Maryland Transportation Authority
- Maryland State Police
- Synergy Marine
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