Tugboats escort ship MV Dali, that caused deadly Baltimore bridge collapse back to Port

BALTIMORE : Dali, the container ship which struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore causing its collapse, has been refloated and is being moved to a new location.

The ship had been stuck underneath remnants of the bridge structure and road surface since the allision on March 26, which resulted in the death of six construction workers who were on the bridge when it collapsed. The ship has blocked the main channel of the Port of Baltimore ever since.

The ship was refloated at 0640 hrs local time and is being moved by tugboats to a local marine terminal 2.5 miles away, a journey which is expected to take around three hours.

Preparation for the refloating began at 0200 hrs to prepare the ship for movement around high tide at 0524 hrs. The process involved the released of mooring lines, deballasting of 1.25m gallons of ballast water from the vessel, and inspections to confirm the clearance of obstacles around the ship.

The refloating follows a series of controlled explosions on 14 May to remove a section of the Key Bridge resting across the bow of the Dali.