By The newspaper
Jun 25, 2024, 00:52 AM EDT
Almost three months after colliding with one of the columns of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and causing its collapse, the container ship Dali set sail from Baltimore to Virginia, where personnel will have to remove the remaining containers to continue with the respective repairs.
The freighter Dali, which measures 300 meters in length, began moving shortly before 8:30 in the morning with four tugboats. The Coast Guard said the vessel sailed under its own power with a full crew of 22 and six salvage experts.
They also made it clear that they were supervising the trip and providing a 500-yard safety zone around the Dali during its journey to Norfolk, Virginia. The trip could take 16 to 20 hours.
They will unload 1,500 containers
The Dali is scheduled to go directly to Virginia International Gateway to unload approximately 1,500 cargo containers to reduce draft, the Coast Guard statement said.
The ship will then travel to the Norfolk International Terminal, where it will continue its salvage and repair of damage caused during the Key Bridge collapse.
Shortly after leaving Baltimore Harbor early on March 26, the ship lost power and propulsion and crashed into one of the bridge’s support columns. Construction workers were on the bridge making repairs.
Six men of Hispanic origin lost their lives during the collapse, each of their bodies recovered by search teams. The six deceased were from Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.
The ship had two power outages
On May 20, the Dalí was refloated and guided back to port. The ship had been trapped in the rubble for almost two months, with massive steel armor covering its bow.
A National Transportation Safety Board investigation found that the ship experienced two power outages in the hours before it left the port of Baltimore. Moments before the bridge collapsed, she lost power again and veered off course. The agency is still investigating what caused the electrical failures.
“We continue to examine the recalled components at the NTSB Materials Laboratory,” the board said, the AP reported. “We will continue to evaluate the design and operation of the vessel’s electrical power distribution system and investigate all aspects of the accident to determine the probable cause and identify possible safety recommendations,” they added.
Last week, under an agreement confirmed by a federal judge, some members of the Dali’s crew were allowed to return home — only eight did — and must be available to testify, said Darrell Wilson, a spokesman for the ship’s manager Synergy. Marine. The majority of seafarers come from India and Sri Lanka.
Earlier this month, officials announced the reopening of the Fort McHenry Federal Canal, after clearing the remains of the 700-foot-wide by 50-foot-deep canal. The bridge could be rebuilt in 2028.
With information from AP
Keep reading:
- Access to Baltimore Harbor cleared more than two months after bridge collapse
- The video of the moment when the collapsed Baltimore bridge was demolished with explosives after a collision with a boat
- Authorities find and identify the sixth victim after the collapse of the Baltimore bridge