The ship that collided with Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge has been successfully freed on Monday using precision explosive charges aimed at the areas where the ship was stuck. The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed that the controlled blasts performed as planned, breaking the bridge’s bonds. Rear Adm. Shannon Gilreath reported that 365 commercial vessels had been redirected through alternate channels over the past seven weeks.
The removal process began after the recovery of the sixth victim of the ship crash, with weekend weather delays leading the operation into Monday. Governor Wes Moore announced plans to open a 50-foot-deep, 700-foot-wide channel by the end of May to expedite the reopening of the Port of Baltimore.
While the full removal of the Dali ship may take a couple more days, efforts are on schedule to reopen the port by the end of the month. The crew of 21 members on board the Dali, who have been stranded since the incident, were reported to still be carrying out their duties.
The crew’s phones were confiscated by the FBI as part of the collision investigation, causing anxiety and a sense of disconnection among the crew members. Josh Messick, the executive director of the Baltimore International Seafarers’ Center, expressed concerns over the crew’s inability to access essential services like online banking, contacts, and photos of loved ones. Efforts are underway to return their cellphones to them.
