Dali departs Baltimore for first time since bridge collapse, heads to Virginia – Baltimore Sun
The ship that launched multiple federal inquiries and knocked down an iconic Baltimore structure is on its way out of town.
Three months after it crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge and sent the span tumbling into the Patapsco River, the 984-foot Dali container ship began slowly sailing under its own power — assisted by four tugboats — just before 8:30 a.m. Monday to Norfolk, Virginia. After a trip of 16 to 20 hours, the Dali will tie up to unload all of its containers and receive more extensive repairs.
With crushed containers still resting on the bow and a tarp temporarily covering up a hole in the hull, the ship departed the Port of Baltimore’s Seagirt Marine Terminal and then turned right to follow the federal shipping channel. Marine tracking data indicated the ship traveled at roughly 7 knots (8 mph) for the bulk of its morning transit.
Traffic on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge near Annapolis was halted for roughly 20 minutes, beginning at 11 a.m., as the ship approached the bridge. To avoid distracting drivers, the Maryland Transportation Authority sometimes stops traffic on the Bay Bridge when vessels of high public interest sail underneath.
About 100 people gathered at Sandy Point State Park, in the shadow of the Bay Bridge, to spectate as the damaged Dali — still carrying fragments of bridge from the collapse — safely sailed beneath the span. The crowd, some of whom peered through binoculars, fell so silent as the ship approached that birds could be heard chirping. As it safely transited the bridge, observers called out: “Threading the needle” and “Clearing the goal posts.”
“Did you notice how quiet everyone was?” said Paula Schnabel, of St. Margaret’s. “It was almost solemn.”
The Dali had been in Baltimore since it lost power in the early hours of March 26, colliding with a Key Bridge pier and collapsing the structure, killing six construction workers. Debris from the disaster blocked Baltimore’s shipping channel for more than two months, and the bridge’s demise eliminated one of only three harbor crossings, slowing car and truck traffic in the area.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the FBI are both investigating the calamity. Prompted by the collapse, the Coast Guard has initiated a board of inquiry to evaluate potential risks to other bridges in the U.S.
Last month, crews used explosives to cut up a piece of the Key Bridge that sat atop the Dali, then refloated the vessel. Five tugboats moved the ship to the Seagirt Marine Terminal, where some of the wreckage on its crumpled bow was removed. Some of that debris remains on the vessel as it transits to Norfolk, however, and several workers could be seen standing on the bow as the vessel began its voyage. The ship will undergo further cleanup and repairs upon its arrival.
The Coast Guard is enforcing a 500-yard safety zone around the Dali during its voyage, and there will also be a 100-yard safety zone once the ship is moored near Norfolk to protect from “potential hazards created by the heavily damaged M/V Dali while it offloads cargo,” according to a Coast Guard memo.
The Dali leaves Baltimore for first time since Key Bridge collapse | PHOTOS
A few people gathered at Fort Armistead Park earlier in the day to watch the ship’s departure from the Port of Baltimore, including George M. Treas III, who lives nearby. He likened the bridge collapse to “losing somebody” and said visiting the area is “like going to a graveyard.”
As Treas watched the ship slowly depart Baltimore on Monday, he said: “It feels good. I feel safer now. They caused enough havoc here.”
Mike Brown, of Glen Burnie, described the Dali departing as “another chapter we can put behind us” in the recovery process.
“The next chapter will be rebuilding the bridge in a way that makes it safer and not susceptible to the same kind of collapse,” he said.
This article will be updated.
Source link
