The removal of the
containers from the deck of the Dali would
continue this week as weather permits, according to a statement from the Key
Bridge Response Unified Command.
Crews were progressing towards removing sections of
the bridge that lie across the ship’s bow to eventually allow it to move.
In total, 32 vessels
have passed through temporary channels on either side of the wreckage.
“The Unified Command
is concurrently progressing on its main lines of effort to remove enough debris
to open the channel to larger commercial traffic,” US Coast Guard captain David
O’Connell said.
The Dali, managed by Synergy and on charter to Maersk, has
been pinned down under mangled steel in the Patapsco River since it slammed
into the bridge on March 26, killing six road maintenance workers.
President Joe Biden visited Baltimore on Friday, vowing
to “move heaven and earth” to help the city’s port recover.
“Folks, we all need to
step up,” Biden said, “Amazon, Home Depot…and other companies all rely on this
port, and they have committed to keep workers on payrolls.”
By the end of April,
officials hope to open a limited access channel 280ft (80m) wide and 35ft (10m)
deep to allow one-way traffic for container barges and some car carriers. The entire, permanent channel is expected
to be clear and ready for use by the end of May.