Section of collapsed Key Bridge to be lifted from Dali in operation to refloat ship
BALTIMORE -- Salvage crews from the Unified Command are working on removing a massive portion of the Francis Scott Key Bridge which lies across the bow of the cargo ship that caused the collapse.
The removal of this steel structure of the bridge, called "section four," is another big step toward refloating the Dali and clearing the Fort McHenry Channel and fully opening the Port of Baltimore.
The ship has had 182 containers extracted.
"The operation requires careful handling of roadbed material, crushed containers, and bridge fragments currently resting on the vessel," the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said in an update.
Unified Command crews said the goal is to refloat the Dali by May 10.
"The complexities of this next phase of operations require thorough preparation, strategic planning, and specialized expertise," said Capt. David O'Connell, Federal On-Scene Coordinator for the Key Bridge Unified Command. "We have the right team making this work happen in the safest and most efficient way possible."
Dali could be moved by end of week
A delicate, complex salvage effort led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is ongoing to reopen full access to the Port of Baltimore. Officials said the Dali could be moved and a new channel could be open by the end of this week.
Since the collapse, four temporary channels have opened to allow ships, including some commercial vessels.
The fourth and largest channel closed after five days as salvage operations continued, but an even deeper channel is expected to open as soon as next week after the Dali -- the striking cargo ship pinned beneath tons of mangled steel -- is unstuck and removed from the channel.
The main 50-foot-deep channel is still set to reopen by the end of May. A giant hydraulic claw will make that possible by removing pieces of the bridge embedded in the Patapsco River bed.
The National Transportation Safety Board expects to release its preliminary report on the disaster the first week in May.
One body missing
Six construction workers who were repairing potholes on the bridge were killed in the collapse. As of May 2, five bodies have been found, but a sixth remains unaccounted for.
The men were filling potholes on the bridge at the time of the collapse. They were originally from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico.
Two bodies were recovered a day after the collapse, and three more bodies have been found over the weeks following the disaster.
The cause of the collision has yet to be officially determined. A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board could be out as soon as next week. But a final report could be more than a year away.
