After two postponements, engineers on Monday finally cleared a massive portion of the roadway that has been sitting on top of the Dali cargo ship, since its collision with the Key Bridge on March 26.
A sonic boom followed by billowing black smoke filled the air when engineers made precision cuts separating the 4,000-ton section of I-695 that had entrapped the ship. Military personnel including David O’Connell, Captain of the Port, United States Coast Guard, watched the detonation on a boat 1,500 feet away.
“It went according to plan,” O’Connell said, hailing the operation’s success. ”It fell away from the ship so it was a pretty awesome sight to see. I've seen demolitions of a bridge but I've never seen it on a vessel, certainly a unique event.”
Next, crews will clear and recover pieces of the bridge from the water. Officials said they would conduct a dive survey assessment Tuesday morning. They also expect to refloat the ship within 48 hours and say they are on track to restore full access to the shipping channel by the end of the month.
As the explosion took place above, the 21-member crew of the Dali sheltered in place below the deck. Port of Baltimore Chaplain, Rev. Josh Messick expressed relief on behalf of the seafarers. Some have been on board the vessel since the accident seven weeks ago.
"Now, they are a step closer to normalcy," said Messick who hopes crewmembers can secure passes to get offshore once the ship is at berth.
“Hopefully, they’ll be able to have shore leave," he continued. "Right now I’m working with the crew to determine what they want to do. And not just what I think they want to do. I'm not going to schlep them all to an Orioles game if they really just want to go see a cricket match somewhere.”
