(DailyDig.com) – On March 29, a crane with the ability to raise materials weighing one thousand tons arrived at the Key Bridge, which collapsed when a cargo ship crashed into one of the support pillars. It began to clear the wreckage that blocked recovery teams from locating four workers who were on the bridge when it collapsed and are blocking ships’ access to the Port of Baltimore.
According to Governor Wes Moore, additional cranes will arrive soon, for a total of four cranes used for raising heavy loads. Seven more cranes that float, eight vessels for salvage, nine barges to carry off the debris, ten tugs, and five Coast Guard vessels will be at the collapsed bridge to clear out the channel. The cargo ship will also be removed from the channel, along with the remains of the bridge.
Moore expressed significant concern about the nearly four-thousand-ton weight of the section of the bridge that fell on the cargo ship, which will require removal. This will require the salvage crew to cut the steel trusses into sections in order to safely remove them from the river.
Another complication during the removal of the debris is the search and recovery of the missing workers, who are now presumed dead. An Eastern Atlantic Stated Carpenters Technical Center instructor, Donald Gibbons, stated that the river at the bridge location has zero visibility. As the divers work at cutting the debris for removal with underwater cutting and burning tools, they must work from the top down so as not to disturb what is below.
According to Moore, the port is important to all of the United States as they handle farm equipment and cars arriving at the port more than any other in the US. He added that Baltimore’s US Army Corps of Engineers and the Navy are gathering country-wide resources to aid in the removal of the debris.
Despite the suspension of shipping, the Maryland Port Administration reported that trucks are still operating at the marine terminals. They don’t have an estimate for when shipping will open on the channel.
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