On March 26, the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland collapsed after one of its support columns was hit by the Dali, a massive container ship that had lost power. For weeks, the Dali has been trapped amid the remaining wreckage, but now crews are scheduled to conduct a controlled demolition on Sunday that should allow the ship to be refloated — and for maritime traffic to return to normal in the Port of Baltimore’s main channel.
According to a report from NPR, engineers will use “surgical precision” to cut the steel trusses trapping the container, which will then be “thrust away from the Dali” when explosives are detonated. The demolished steel sections will be lifted onto barges using hydraulic grabbers and hauled away.
The Dali’s 21-member crew has not been allowed to leave the ship since the accident, which is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board and the FBI. William Marks, a spokesperson for the crew, told NPR in an email that “all precautions are being taken to ensure everyone's safety” and that the crew would be in a designated safe area during the explosions.
Officials did not say how soon after the controlled demolition the Dali would be returned to the Port of Baltimore, but The Baltimore Sun obtained an email that indicated it is expected “on or about May 14.”
