Bridge section being cleared off Dali; plan to reopen 45’ channel May 10

Salvage crews on Thursday removed a section of steel wreckage from the bow of the Dali, a step toward removing the 985’ containership from Baltimore’s Fort McHenry Channel where it’s been stranded since the March 26 allision and collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

Plans now call for a limited reopening of an emergency 45’ channel around May 10, as work continues to refloat and remove the Dali. The temporary channel opened for a few days at the end of April, allowing limited vessel transits and the first containership arrival in a month.

“Teams have strategically removed 182 containers from the M/V Dali to facilitate the removal of the piece of steel structure, referred to as ‘section four,’” according to a May 3 update from the Key Bridge Unified Response.

“The operation requires careful handling of roadbed material, crushed containers, and bridge fragments…salvage teams are meticulously preparing for the refloat of the Dali, ensuring all aspects of the wreckage impacts are thoroughly evaluated and addressed,” according to the task force.

 "The complexities of this next phase of operations require thorough preparation, strategic planning, and specialized expertise," said Coast Guard Capt. David O’Connell, the federal on-scene coordinator of the unified command. "We have the right team making this work happen in the safest and most efficient way possible.”

 When it's opened again the 45' channel will be allowed for use only by "commercially essential vessels" from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m., according to an update from the Port of Baltimore. The temporary passage will have a horizontal clearance of 300' and a vertical clearance of 214' due to power lines, according to port officials.

Three temporary channels of 20', 14' and 11' depth remain available for transits with strictly regulated permission from the Coast Guard. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it expects the have the 700' wide, 50' deep main channel open by the end of May.