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Tugboats escort container ship Dali that caused deadly Baltimore bridge collapse back to port

Tugboats escort container ship Dali that caused deadly Baltimore bridge collapse back to port
FEW HOURS. RIGHT KHIREE THE PROCESS TO REFLOAT THE DALI REALLY STARTED TODAY. MIDDAY AND IT WILL GO INTO TOMORROW MORNING. AS YOU MENTIONED THERE, THE UNIFIED COMMAND AND DISSIPATING THAT TONIGHT WILL BE THE LAST NIGHT THAT THE DALI SHIP SPENDS AT THE SITE IN THE PATAPSCO RIVER, POSSIBLY THE LAST TIME WE’LL HAVE AN UP CLOSE VIEW OF THE DALI SHIP STUCK AT THE SITE OF THE KEY BRIDGE COLLAPSE. RIGHT NOW, WHAT YOU HAVE BEHIND US IS THE MOTOR VESSEL DALI. WE’RE GETTING READY TO REFLOAT HER. GOD WILLING, EARLY TOMORROW MORNING. THAT’S THE PLAN. TO REFLOAT THE DOLLY SHIP AT HIGH TIDE TOMORROW MORNING. WHICH IS SET TO HAPPEN AROUND 5:24 A.M. WE’VE DONE OUR LAST PREPARATORY CUTS TO REMOVE ANY OF THE REMAINING WRECKAGE THAT WAS HANGING AND DANGLING OFF OF THE VESSEL, SO WE CAN FACILITATE A SAFE REFLOAT GOING BACK TO A MARINE TERMINAL HERE IN THE PORT OF BALTIMORE, COLONEL PINCH HAYSOM WITH THE UNIFIED COMMAND GIVING 11 NEWS A VIEW FROM THE WATER. THIS SUNDAY WHILE THEY PREPARE TO FREE THE DOLLY SHIP. THIS INCLUDES THE LAST PREPARATORY CUTS TO REMOVE ANYTHING HANGING OR DANGLING OFF THE MOTOR VEHICLE, AND SURVEYS AROUND THE BOW OF THE SHIP TO ENSURE NO INTERFERENCE WILL HAPPEN. OFFICIALS SAY THE REMAINING ROADWAY ON THE SHIP WILL STAY PUT. WE DID HAVE MORE WRECKAGE DANGLING OFF THE DOLLY THAN WE WOULD HAVE EXPECTED, AND THAT’S WHAT CAUSED US TO HAVE TO DELAY REFLOATING THE DOLLY IMMEDIATELY. WE WERE HOPING TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT IN 1 OR 2 DAYS, BUT WE’RE GLAD THAT WE’RE ABLE TO TAKE THE TIME TO REMOVE ALL THE WRECKAGE IN AND AROUND IT. AND ONCE IT’S REFLOATED, WE PLAN TO OPEN A 400 FOOT BY 50 FOOT CHANNEL TOMORROW AND HOPEFULLY IN THE NEXT WEEK OR SO, WE’LL BE AT THAT 700 FOOT CHANNEL, WHICH IS OUR GOAL BY TAKING IT OUT TO 400 AND THE DOLLY BEING REFLOATED, WE’RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO BRING ANYTHING THROUGH THE PORT OF BALTIMORE, ANYTHING THAT WOULD HAVE COME THROUGH BEFORE. NOW. CHANNEL WILL BE 400FT WIDE. NOW THE UNIFIED COMMAND SAYS THAT FIVE TUGBOATS WILL BE ESCORTED THE DOLLY SHIP TO THE SECRET MARINE TERMINAL ON ITS TWO AND A HALF MILE JOURNEY. AS FOR THE WORKERS ON THE SHIP, WE DID ASK THE UNIFIED COMMAND ABOUT THEM. WHAT HAPPENS ONCE THEY DOCK TODAY, BUT THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS. WE’LL KEEP WORKING TO LEARN MORE. FOR NOW, LIV
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Tugboats escort container ship Dali that caused deadly Baltimore bridge collapse back to port
The recovery from the deadly Baltimore bridge collapse reached a significant milestone Monday as the ill-fated container ship Dali was slowly escorted back to port, its damaged bow still covered with smashed shipping containers, fallen steel trusses and mangled concrete.Nearly two months have passed since the Dali lost power and crashed into one of the bridge’s supporting columns, killing six construction workers and halting most maritime traffic through the Port of Baltimore.Refloated at high tide Monday morning, the vessel slowly moved away from the site of the March 26 disaster, guided by at least four tugboats. The extensive damage to its bow included a massive, gaping hole above the waterline on its starboard side.Removing the hulking ship opened a new void in Baltimore’s skyline, which lost an iconic landmark and a symbol of the city’s proud maritime history. The altered waterscape shows how crews have already cleared thousands of tons of mangled steel that jutted up from the water’s surface after the collapse.The bodies of the six victims have been recovered from the underwater wreckage — all Latino immigrants who came to the U.S. for job opportunities. They were filling potholes on an overnight shift when the bridge was destroyed.Officials said the Dali would move at about 1 mph on the roughly 2.5-mile trip back to port, a fraction of its speed when it lost power and brought down the bridge. It will spend several weeks getting temporary repairs at the same marine terminal it occupied before beginning its disastrous voyage, then move to a shipyard in Norfolk, Virginia for extensive repairs.To refloat the Dali, crews released anchors and pumped out more than 1 million gallons of water that had kept the ship grounded and stable. Crews conducted a controlled demolition on May 13 to break down the largest remaining span of the collapsed bridge, which was draped across the Dali’s bow. Dive teams then confirmed the path was clear.The FBI has launched a criminal investigation into the circumstances leading up to the crash.Video below: Timelapse shows re-floating of Dali container ship, moving to portThe Dali experienced two electrical blackouts about 10 hours before leaving the Port of Baltimore on its way to Sri Lanka. The crew later made changes to the ship’s electrical configuration, switching to a transformer and breaker system that had previously been out of use for several months, according to the National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary report.Two more blackouts left the Dali without propulsion, drifting off course just as it was approaching the Key Bridge. By then, two tugboats that had guided the Dali out of port had peeled off — normal protocol, according to the report — but when the power went out, the tugs were too far away to help avert disaster.The ship’s 21 crew members, most of whom are from India, haven’t been allowed off the vessel since the collapse. The Dali is managed by Synergy Marine Group and owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd., both of Singapore.Darrell Wilson, a spokesperson for Synergy, said Monday that the crew has been busy maintaining the ship and assisting investigators. But now that the Dali is docked, he said company officials are working to secure shore leave for them. The process is somewhat more complicated than usual because their visas have expired.Wilson said two more crew members recently joined the original 21 to spread out the workload and give them a break.“Ultimately, we want to get them home to see their families,” he said, though that timeline is unclear.Officials plan to reopen the Port of Baltimore’s 50-foot deep draft channel by the end of May. Until then, they have established a temporary channel that’s slightly shallower.Gov. Wes Moore praised the cleanup and recovery for “achieving in a matter of weeks what many thought would take months,” and said Maryland will continue partnering with key stakeholders inside and outside of government to clear the full 700-foot federal channel, support the people involved and rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

The recovery from the deadly Baltimore bridge collapse reached a significant milestone Monday as the ill-fated container ship Dali was slowly escorted back to port, its damaged bow still covered with smashed shipping containers, fallen steel trusses and mangled concrete.

Nearly two months have passed since the Dali lost power and crashed into one of the bridge’s supporting columns, killing six construction workers and halting most maritime traffic through the Port of Baltimore.

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Refloated at high tide Monday morning, the vessel slowly moved away from the site of the March 26 disaster, guided by at least four tugboats. The extensive damage to its bow included a massive, gaping hole above the waterline on its starboard side.

Removing the hulking ship opened a new void in Baltimore’s skyline, which lost an iconic landmark and a symbol of the city’s proud maritime history. The altered waterscape shows how crews have already cleared thousands of tons of mangled steel that jutted up from the water’s surface after the collapse.

The bodies of the six victims have been recovered from the underwater wreckage — all Latino immigrants who came to the U.S. for job opportunities. They were filling potholes on an overnight shift when the bridge was destroyed.

Officials said the Dali would move at about 1 mph on the roughly 2.5-mile trip back to port, a fraction of its speed when it lost power and brought down the bridge. It will spend several weeks getting temporary repairs at the same marine terminal it occupied before beginning its disastrous voyage, then move to a shipyard in Norfolk, Virginia for extensive repairs.

To refloat the Dali, crews released anchors and pumped out more than 1 million gallons of water that had kept the ship grounded and stable. Crews conducted a controlled demolition on May 13 to break down the largest remaining span of the collapsed bridge, which was draped across the Dali’s bow. Dive teams then confirmed the path was clear.

The FBI has launched a criminal investigation into the circumstances leading up to the crash.

Video below: Timelapse shows re-floating of Dali container ship, moving to port

The Dali experienced two electrical blackouts about 10 hours before leaving the Port of Baltimore on its way to Sri Lanka. The crew later made changes to the ship’s electrical configuration, switching to a transformer and breaker system that had previously been out of use for several months, according to the National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary report.

Two more blackouts left the Dali without propulsion, drifting off course just as it was approaching the Key Bridge. By then, two tugboats that had guided the Dali out of port had peeled off — normal protocol, according to the report — but when the power went out, the tugs were too far away to help avert disaster.

The ship’s 21 crew members, most of whom are from India, haven’t been allowed off the vessel since the collapse. The Dali is managed by Synergy Marine Group and owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd., both of Singapore.

Darrell Wilson, a spokesperson for Synergy, said Monday that the crew has been busy maintaining the ship and assisting investigators. But now that the Dali is docked, he said company officials are working to secure shore leave for them. The process is somewhat more complicated than usual because their visas have expired.

Wilson said two more crew members recently joined the original 21 to spread out the workload and give them a break.

“Ultimately, we want to get them home to see their families,” he said, though that timeline is unclear.

Officials plan to reopen the Port of Baltimore’s 50-foot deep draft channel by the end of May. Until then, they have established a temporary channel that’s slightly shallower.

Gov. Wes Moore praised the cleanup and recovery for “achieving in a matter of weeks what many thought would take months,” and said Maryland will continue partnering with key stakeholders inside and outside of government to clear the full 700-foot federal channel, support the people involved and rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge.