The
complex operation would see the nearly 1,000-foot (300-meter) MV Dali container
vessel transported to a marine terminal, marking a major step in reopening the
key shipping channel.
The Singapore-flagged ship lost power before it plowed
into a support column of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, causing it
to collapse and killing six construction workers who had been atop the major
transit route.
The accident shut down the port, though temporary channels
have allowed some traffic in and out of Baltimore.
Authorities leading the salvage operation said the MV
Dali would be prepared for refloating from midday (1600 GMT) Sunday ahead of
being moved at high tide on Monday, forecast for 5:24 am.
Divers will first inspect the ship to ensure there are
no obstructions after demolition experts last week used explosives to remove
parts of the collapsed steel bridge trapping the Dali, which still has its
21-man crew onboard.
Salvagers will then draw out up to 1.25 million
gallons (4.7 million liters) of water previously pumped into the Dali to
stabilize it as ballast, before releasing its anchors and mooring lines.
Tugboats will transport the Dali at around 1 mile per
hour (1.6 kilometers per hour) to a nearby marine terminal, with the journey
expected to take three hours.
Maryland
Governor Wes Moore told NBC News on Sunday he was “proud that we’re on track
and by the end of May we’ll have that federal channel reopened.”
Authorities have been working around the clock to
clear the fallen bridge and reopen the waterway after it was rendered
impassable due to the sprawling wreckage.
The port is a key hub for the auto industry, handling
almost 850,000 autos and light trucks last year — more than any other US port,
according to state figures.
In April the FBI launched a criminal probe into the
incident, with its agents boarding the Dali as part of the investigation.
The National Transportation Safety Board, which is
also investigating, said on Tuesday the ship had two electricity blackouts in
the moments before the the disaster. It
also said the crew had been tested multiple times, before and after the
disaster, for drugs and alcohol, and that none had showed.