The Demolishment of the Collapsing Bridge Associated with a U.S. Maersk Ship, the Dali, onboard a Container Ship

The largest span of the collapsed bridge which was resting on the ship’s bow, was demolished this week in a major step forward for the effort to free the Dali. Crews set off a chain of carefully placed explosives on Monday, letting off plumes of black smoke and a loud boom as the mangled steel trusses crashed into the water below.

The explosives flashed orange and let off plumes of black smoke upon detonation. A wall of water splashed back toward the ship, when the longest trusses fell away from the grounded Dali container ship.

Danish shipping giant Maersk had chartered the Dali for a planned trip from Baltimore to Sri Lanka, but the ship didn’t get far. Its crew sent a mayday call saying they had lost power and had no control of the steering system. Minutes later, the ship rammed into the bridge.

The next step is to refloat the Dali so that it can be guided to a nearby terminal at the port for temporary repairs. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has opened a temporary alternate channel, and it is still working to restore a deeper channel for large container ships that typically use the port.

Officials expect to refloat the ship within the next few days. Then three or four tugboats will guide it to a nearby terminal at the port. It will likely stay there for several weeks before being moved to the shipyard for more substantial repairs.

“This was a very big milestone for our progression forward,” Col. Estee Pinchasin, Baltimore District Commander for the Army Corps of Engineers, said in the immediate aftermath of the demolition. She said crews don’t anticipate having to use any more explosives.

The Dali’s crew remained on board the ship during the detonation, and no injuries or problems were reported, said Capt. David O’Connell, commander of the Port of Baltimore.

The crew members have not been allowed to leave the vessel. Officials said they’ve been busy maintaining the ship and assisting investigators. The crew members are from India and Sri Lankan.

The 21-Toy Bridge Replacement Project: Demolition and Cleaning in the Los Alamos-Mumford-Sundrum-Belta-Sandwich Area

Engineers spent weeks preparing to use explosives to break down the span, which was 500 feet long and had a weight of up to 600 tons. The demolition was postponed Sunday because of thunderstorms.

“This is a good practice, we have no injuries to date,” Moore said during the news conference. “Safety in this operation is our top priority.”

In a videographic released this week, authorities said engineers were using precision cuts to control how the trusses break down. They said the method allows for “surgical precision” and is one of the safest and most efficient ways to remove steel under a high level of tension. Hydraulic grabbers will now lift the broken sections of steel onto barges.

The NTSB and the FBI are separately investigating the incident. Their findings will help in determining who is ultimately responsible for the accident.

State and federal officials have applauded the crews of the demolition and cleaning operations who recovered the remains of the construction workers. The last body was recovered from the underwater wreckage last week. All of the victims were Latino immigrants who came to the U.S. for job opportunities. They were filling potholes on an overnight shift when the bridge was destroyed.

The Baltimore-Sundrum Key Bridge Disaster: A Memorino of Maryland’s Resilient Work and the Struggle to Rebuild It

The port’s 50-foot deep draft channel will be reopened by the end of May, according to officials. The channel that crews have established is slightly deeper than it was before. Over a thousand vessels have passed through the port in the last few weeks. Cars and farm equipment are usually processed at the port.

Nancy Pelosi, a Baltimore native who served as the speaker of the House, said that the Key Bridge disaster was much like the bombardment of Baltimore’s Fort McHenry by the British during the War of 1812. She said that they are a testament to Maryland’s resilience.

Pelosi, a Democrat who represents California’s 11th district, attended Monday’s news conference with two of her relatives. She praised the collective response to the tragedy as different government agencies came together to work quickly without sacrificing safety.

The National Transportation Safety Board released a report stating that the container ship that hit the Francis Scott Key Bridge had electrical problems one day before it docked in Baltimore.

It is not clear how that incident might relate to what happened the next morning, when the Dali lost power twice and crashed into one of the bridge’s supports.

The Key Bridge collapse cut off most maritime traffic into Baltimore’s busy port and severing an interstate highway that carried 34,000 vehicles per day.

State and federal officials have pledged to rebuild the Key Bridge, but they acknowledge it won’t be easy or quick. The fight over who pays for the bridge is still going on.

The Maryland Transportation Authority Study of Bridge Protection Measures around the Baltimore-Narco-Steadman Bay Bridge, Bethe Ansatz 3-1

Investigators at the NTSB say they analyzed samples of the fuel that was being burned at the time of the accident, as well as other fuel tanks on the vessel. No concerns with the quality of the fuel were identified by those results.

The Maryland transportation authority is working with the NTSB to assess its other bridges as well as determine if pier protection measures need to be improved. The MDTA is studying options for upgrades to the existing protection system around both spans of the Bay Bridge that connect Annapolis to the Eastern Shore of Maryland, according to the report.