The Collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and the Detonation of the Dali’s Ship, which will be refloated
BALTIMORE — Crews set off a chain of carefully placed explosives Monday to break down the largest remaining span of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, and with a boom and a splash, the mangled steel trusses came crashing down into the river below.
The explosives flashed orange and let off plumes of black smoke upon detonation. A wall of water splashed back at the ship after the longest trusses fell away from it.
It marked the end of a long journey that began when the power went out on the bridge and caused the Dali to crash into one of the support columns.
Most maritime traffic through Baltimore’s busy port was halted due to the collapse. The controlled demolition will allow the Dali to be refloated and restore traffic through the port, which will provide relief for thousands of longshoremen, truckers and small business owners who have seen their jobs impacted by the closure.
The ship is expected to be refloated within the next few days. Then three or four tugboats will guide it to a nearby terminal at the port. It will likely remain there for a several weeks and undergo temporary repairs before being moved to a shipyard for more substantial repairs.
Col. Estee Pinchasin, Baltimore District Commander of the army corps of engineers, said that the demolition was a big milestone for their progression. She said crews wouldn’t have 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 haven’t left the vessel since the disaster. They’ve been helping investigators with maintaining the ship. Of the crew members, 20 are from India and one is Sri Lankan.
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Engineers spent weeks preparing the site for the use of explosives to break down the span, which is 500 feet long and is 600 tons. The demolition was postponed Sunday because of thunderstorms.
Wes Moore said “this is a best practice” during a news conference on Monday, noting that there have been no injuries so far. “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. The method is considered 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 is still investigating the electrical configuration following the first in-port blackout and potential impacts on the events during the accident voyage,” the report says.
The state and federal government has praised the crews that recovered the remains of the construction workers. The last body was found last week. Latino immigrants came to the U.S. to find jobs. The bridge was destroyed as they were filling them on their overnight shift.
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The port’s 50-foot deep draft channel will open by the end of May, according to officials. A temporary channel was set up that is slightly deeper. There have been many vessels in the port in recent weeks. The port processes more farm equipment than anywhere else in the country.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Baltimore native whose father and brother served as mayor decades ago, compared the Key Bridge disaster to the overnight bombardment of Baltimore’s Fort McHenry, which long ago inspired Francis Scott Key to write “The Star-Spangled Banner” during the War of 1812. She said both 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 various government agencies have come together, working quickly without sacrificing safety.
According to a preliminary report released by the National Transportation Safety Board, the container ship that struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge had electrical problems the day before it left the Port of Baltimore.
It’s not clear how that incident relates to the early morning incident when power was lost twice and the Dali crashed into a support of the bridge.
Six construction workers were killed when the Key Bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River, cutting off most maritime traffic into Baltimore’s busy port and severing an interstate highway that carried 34,000 vehicles per day.
The Key Bridge won’t be easy or fast, as state and federal officials acknowledge. Meanwhile the legal fight over who will ultimately pay to replace the bridge is underway.
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There were samples of the fuel being burned at the time of the accident, as well as other fuel tanks on the vessel. But those results did not identify any concerns relating to the quality of the fuel, investigators said.
The Maryland Transportation Authority is being assessed by the National Transport Safety Board to see whether 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.