On
Saturday, 30 Mar, contractors for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began
removing the first piece of the wrecked Francis Scott Key Bridge, launching a
carefully-planned process to clear a channel and reopen the Port of Baltimore.
The work will proceed around the clock, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said at a press
conference Saturday.
"We'll
continue planning efforts for once we open that up for tug and barge traffic to
come into the Port of Baltimore," said Coast Guard 5th District Commander
Rear Adm. Shannon Gilreath at a press conference Saturday. "Even if it's
not the deep draft [channel], we want to take advantage of that
opportunity."
After
the debris is cleared, the auxiliary channel will be carefully surveyed to
determine draft restrictions…
The
alternative arrangements for offloading ro/ro cargo - cars and rolling
equipment - are less clear; Baltimore leads the nation in these cargo
categories, and only one of its ro/ro terminals is still
functioning. "… we don't know the extent of disruption because
companies are working on ways to reroute things," said Alliance for
Automotive Innovation CEO John Bozzella.
In the
meantime, Port of Baltimore's land-side operations remain open, and longshore
workers continue to send import cargo out the gates for final-mile delivery.
The port is also exploring other opportunities to bring longshoremen back to
work until shipping resumes.
As the
bridge is dismantled, the wreckage will be transported to a scrapping site at
nearby Tradepoint Atlantic, Dredging Contractors of America CEO Bill Doyle told
The Maritime Executive. He could not
give an exact timeline for the work's completion, but said that it would be
faster than many observers might think, thanks to an abundance of available
private-sector resources.
Workers
at the bridge site have two barge cranes on scene to assist, one rated at 650
tons and one at 330 tons. The East Coast's heaviest crane barge, the Chesapeake
1,000, is standing by to assist when needed. In addition to the resources of
the Army Corps of Engineers and its contractors, the U.S. Navy's Supervisor of
Diving and Salvage has chartered additional barges to carry wreckage and is
mobilizing 12 support vessels to Baltimore, according to Navy Times.
Complex
Operation: The cleanup involves cutting and lifting steel debris from the north
side of the destroyed bridge. The bridge’s mangled wreckage poses environmental
risks, and its removal is essential for restoring navigation and reopening the
port. However, this intricate process requires precision and caution according
to CoPilot.