Dali container removal will take weeks, a key to Port of Baltimore reopening

The
process
of
removing
shipping
containers
from
the

984-foot-long
Dali
has
begun,
but
it
is
expected
to
take
weeks
to
complete
the
job,
tow
the
listing
ship,
and
get
the
Port
of
Baltimore
reopened
for
marine
traffic
after

the
bride
collapse
which
occurred
on
March
26.

Seven
containers
have
been
removed
since
Unified
Command
started
the
process
on
Sunday
to
clear
up
the
canal
and
ultimately
reopen
for
container
traffic,
a
spokesperson
for
the
Key
Bridge
Response
2024
Joint
Information
Center
told
CNBC.
The
initial
goal
is
to
remove
10
to
12
containers
to
create
a
safe
working
area
for
the
crews
involved
in
recovery
efforts
for
missing
workers
and
removal
of
debris.
The
containers
that
are
being
removed
are
leaning
over
on
the
port
side
of
the
Dali’s
bow
and
pose
a
risk
to
crews
working
in
the
area.

Unified
Command
is
comprised
of
Synergy
Marine,
the
management
company
of
the
Dali,
the
U.S.
Coast
Guard,
U.S.
Army
Corps
of
Engineers,
Maryland
Department
of
the
Environment,
Maryland
Transportation
Authority,
and
Maryland
State
Police. 

Approximately
140
containers
in
all
are
expected
to
be
removed
to
lighten
the
Dali
so
the
grounded
vessel
can
be
refloated
and
moved
by
tugs.
It
is
expected
to
take
approximately
two
weeks
to
unload
all
of
the
containers.

The
first
seven
containers
were
on
a
single
barge
and
taken
to
Sparrows
Point,
the
former
site
of
a
large
industrial
complex
owned
by
Bethlehem
Steel.
Sparrows
Point
is
a
3,100
acre
peninsula
reaching
into
Baltimore
Harbor.
The
JIC
said
the
containers
will
stay
at
Sparrows
Point
until
“further disposition
is
approved
and
coordinated.”  

The
barges
being
loaded
with
containers
all
have
different
container-carrying
capacities,
according
to
JIC.

The
logistics
details
for
cleared
containers
are
still
being
discussed,
with
the
JIC
telling
CNBC
its
“current
intent”
is
to
send
them
to
the
CSX
Terminal.

A
CSX
spokesperson
told
CNBC
the
freight
rail
company
has
expressed
a
willingness
and
desire
to
help
with
the
recovery
efforts
in
Baltimore,
and
said
conversations
are
ongoing,
but
added,
“We
have
no
significant
updates
to
report
at
this
time.”

CSX
was
the
first
rail
to

start
a
rail
service
for
diverted
containers
resulting
from
the
accident
and
closure
of
the
Port
of
Baltimore.

Once
the
Dali
is
refloated
and
no
longer
listing,
tugs
will
move
the
vessel
to
the
CSX
terminal
at
the
Port
of
Baltimore.
It
is
still
to
be
determined
how
many
tugs
will
be
needed
to
move
the
Dali,
according
to
the
JIC.
“That
is
currently
pending
and
is
being
planned
out,”
it
said
in
an
email
to
CNBC.

The
removal
of
the
debris
and
the
vessel
is
key
to
the
reopening
of
the
Port
of
Baltimore,
which
is
the
largest
port
for
auto
imports
and
exports
in
the
country,
as
well
as
a
key
trade
hub
for
clothing,
household
goods,
construction
materials,
electronics
and
appliances,
and
produce.
Last
week,
engineers
said
the
goal
is
to
restore
“normal
capacity”
access
to
the
main
700-foot-wide
by
50-foot-deep
channel
and
the
Port
of
Baltimore
by
the
end
of
May.

Aaron
Roth,
a
retired
Coast
Guard
captain
and
Chertoff
Group
principal,
previously
told
CNBC
there
will
be

one
tell-tale
sign
of
when
the
channel
is
ready
to
open.

“Once
you
see
plans
of
moving
the
Dali
away
from
the
port,
that’s
when
you
know
the
channel
is
ready
to
be
open,”
Roth
said.
“In
the
meantime,
just
like
we
saw
with
the
Red
Sea,
the
system
will
adjust.
The
economy
knows
best
and
the
economy
will
absorb
it,”
he
said.

The
new
channel
is
currently
open
for
smaller
commercial
vessels,
including
those
involved
in
the
recovery
effort,
that
are
remarkably
lighter
and
smaller.
The
size
of
vessels
the
Coast
Guard
is
allowing
is
96
feet
in
length,
compared
to
the 984-foot-long
Dali,
the
vessel
that
struck
the
Francis
Scott
Key
Bridge
after
losing
navigational
control
and destroyed
the
key
piece
of
infrastructure.
 

A
tugboat
pushing
a
fuel
barge
was
the
first
vessel
to
use
the
alternate
channel
to
bypass
the
wreckage
of
the
bridge.
The
barge
was
carrying
jet
fuel
for
the
Department
of
Defense
first
bound
for
Delaware’s
Dover
Air
Force
Base.