Baltimore Port Reopens To All Ships, Channel Nears Original Width: Photos

BALTIMORE, MD — All deep-draft commercial vessels can now re-enter the Port of Baltimore, officials announced Monday afternoon.

The news came nearly two months after the container ship Dali toppled the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The March 26 collapse killed six construction workers and blocked most port activity. The ensuing maritime slowdown cost more than 1,000 jobs.

"The Unified Command continues to clear the remaining wreckage from the Fort McHenry Federal Channel," the Unified Command said Monday in a joint statement. "We're pleased to see the successful refloating and moving of the M/V [Dali] today to its new location. We won't slow down until the channel is fully restored."

Earlier on Monday, crews refloated and relocated the ship that struck the bridge. The 984-foot Dali had been grounded in the Patapsco River since the crash.

Though all deep-draft vessels can now safely return, the channel still isn't as wide as it was before the collapse. Officials expect to restore the channel to its pre-collapse width by the end of May.

"This marks the resumption of commercial vessel transits in and out of the Port of Baltimore," the Unified Command said in the press release. "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."

Read all of Patch's Key Bridge collapse coverage here.

With the 158-foot-wide Dali relocated, the federal channel is expected to soon be 400 feet wide and 50 feet deep.

Salvage crews are now using the cranes and barges already on site to remove the remaining bridge wreckage.

The permanent federal navigation channel will be 700 feet wide and 50 feet deep.

"We knew from the moment of the collapse that our mission to bring closure to the families, clear wreckage, move the ship, open the channel, and support all those affected would be remarkably complex and dangerous," Gov. Wes Moore said Monday in a statement. "Seven weeks later, we have recovered all six individuals who lost their lives, enacted bipartisan legislation to support workers and businesses, and, as of today, successfully refloated the Dali."

Salvage crews on May 13 used controlled explosives to demolish a chunk of bridge wreckage that was still lying atop the Dali. That detonation freed the vessel from a bridge span that measured about 500 feet long and weighed up to 600 tons, the Associated Press reported.

Refloating plans then began.

Workers had to remove and secure obstructions, pump water out of the vessel, release the anchor lines and secure the ship to tugboats.

More than 1 million gallons of water were pumped out of the Dali, and it became buoyant around 6:40 a.m. Five tugboats were escorting it to shore under favorable weather conditions by 7 a.m.

The ship traveled around 1 mph and traversed 2.5 miles before arriving at a local marine terminal around 9 a.m. During transit, the Dali still had mangled bridge remnants on its bow and smashed containers on its deck.

A timelapse of the journey is posted here.

The entire refloating and relocation took about 21 hours in total.

The vessel is expected to stay in port for several weeks for temporary repairs. It will then move to a shipyard for more substantial work, the AP reported.

The AP said the Dali's crew members, 20 from India and one from Sri Lanka, still haven't left the ship. They have been maintaining the vessel and helping investigators.

The FBI is evaluating potential criminal wrongdoing. Lawmakers have assembled a legal team to fight what attorneys called an "unseaworthy" vessel.

The National Transportation Safety Board is simultaneously analyzing the crash cause and developing future safety recommendations. The NTSB's preliminary report says the Dali sustained two electrical blackouts before the wreck.

Attention now turns toward rebuilding the bridge. Officials estimated that the new crossing will open by fall 2028 and cost up to $1.9 billion.

"Our work isn't done," Moore said in his statement. "We must continue to move in partnership with all key stakeholders to clear the full 700 foot federal channel, support the workers, businesses, and families affected by the collapse, and rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge."

Related:

• Deepest Key Bridge Channel Open Since Collapse, Full Lane Coming Soon
• Cargo Ship Had Multiple Blackouts Before Striking Key Bridge: NTSB
• Key Bridge Detonation: See Photos, Video As Explosives Free Dali Ship
• Last Key Bridge Victim's Body Found In Baltimore Wreckage: Officials
• Dali 'Unseaworthy' Baltimore Says Of Ship Owner In Key Bridge Crash
• 'You're Alive': Baker Among Last Drivers On Key Bridge Before Collapse
• Biden Views Key Bridge Collapse: 'Your Nation Has Your Back'
• Jobs In Limbo, Supply Chain Resilient After Baltimore Bridge Collapse
• 'I Didn't Think It Was Real': Residents React To Key Bridge Collapse