Cranes and rescue workers work to remove the wreckage of the freighter Daly that hit the Francis Scott Key Bridge on April 04, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland.
Kevin Deitch | Good pictures
Rescue crews on Sunday began removing containers from the cargo ship's deck after it collided and capsized. Francis Scott Key Bridge in BaltimoreAn important step towards the full reopening of one of the country's major shipping lanes.
According to a statement from the Key Bridge Response Unified Command, removal of containers from the deck of the Daly will continue this week, weather permitting. Crews are moving forward to remove portions of the bridge that lie across the ship's bow, eventually allowing it to move, the statement said.
In total, 32 ships passed through temporary channels on either side of the wreck, officials said.
“Unified Command is simultaneously moving forward in its major effort to remove enough debris to open the channel to larger commercial traffic,” U.S. Coast Guard Capt. David O'Connell said in the statement.
The Dolly has been trapped under molten steel in the Patapsco River since it crashed into the bridge on March 26, killing six workers.
President Joe Biden on Friday visited construction and rescue equipment trying to remove mangled metal remains and debris by helicopter. The President also met the families of the deceased for over an hour.
Eight workers – immigrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador – were filling potholes on the bridge when it collapsed in the middle of the night. Two people were rescued and the bodies of three others were recovered in the following days. The search for other victims continued.
Officials have set up a temporary, alternative route for vessels engaged in the removal of debris. The White House said the Army Corps of Engineers hopes to open the limited-access channel, where barge container ships and some ships move cars and farm equipment, by the end of April and restore normal capacity to the Port of Baltimore by May 31.
More than 50 salvage divers and 12 cranes are on site to cut sections of the bridge and remove them from the main waterway.
